The Saddam tapes

The conventional liberal wisdom had it that there were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.  Saddam Hussein had renounced them for the sake of his own survival.  He was contained, and boxed in as he was he was no threat.  The tapes provided to ABC Nightline suggest otherwise.

Charles Duelfer, who led the official U.S. search for weapons of mass destruction after the war, says the tapes show extensive deception but don't prove that weapons were still hidden in Iraq at the time of the U.S.-led war in 2003. "What they do is support the conclusion in the report, which we made in the last couple of years, that the regime had the intention of building and rebuilding weapons of mass destruction, when circumstances permitted."

Saddam is also on tape predicting that terrorism will come to America.

TARIQ AZIZ: There is nothing left except the Americans casting doubt that Iraq may produce biological weapons and use them for terrorism…

The serial number of every missile is known, because our suppliers were the Russians, the Soviets. Our missiles are the Russian missiles that we bought. The Russian invoices are clear, sometimes there are discrepancies, but they are checked and they were checked and it was over. This many, 100 missiles. This is the evidence and they cannot …

SADDAM HUSSEIN: The situation is a pity. Had I known that the war would end, we would have found them on Israel's head.

AZIZ: With respect to the issue of biological weapons which lingers. If the French and Russians help us, we could find a solution. I don't think it's farfetched that we could find a solution. All this talk that Iraq can produce it and use it for terrorism is nonsense. One can say that any country can use it.

HUSSEIN: Terrorism is coming. I told the Americans a long time before August 2 and told the British as well, I think Hamed was there keeping the meeting minutes with one of them, that in the future there will be terrorism with weapons of mass destruction. What prevents this technology from developing and people from smuggling it? All of this, before the stories of smuggling, before that, in 1989. I told them, "In the future, what would prevent that we see a booby-trapped car causing a nuclear explosion in Washington or a germ or a chemical one?"

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Sir, the germ, any biologists can make a bottle at home.

SADDAM: This is coming, this story is coming but not from Iraq.

AZIZ: Sir, the biological is very easy to make. It's so simple that any biologist can make a germ bottle and drop it into a septic tank and kill 100,000. This is not done by a state, no need to accuse a state, an individual can do it. Even an American in a house, close to the White House, I mean, they don't have a logical argument.

Coming to America, "but not from Iraq", or just not traceable to Iraq?  The tapes also include some discussion of Iraq's nuclear program. Here is the late son in law, Hussein Kamel.

I go back to the question of whether we should reveal everything or continue to be silent. Sir, since the meeting has taken this direction, I would say it is in our interest not to reveal. Not just out of fear of disclosing the technology we achieved, or to hide it for future work. No. The game has gone on for too long. And now it has become clear to many officials of countries that are coerced to work with America…

My emphasis.