# Looks like Iraq had a missle deal with North Korea with the help of Syria **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 1, 2003, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looks-like-iraq-had-a-missle-deal-with-north-korea-with-the-help-of-syria/216216 "2003-12-01T07:06:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hydrocortisone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e19b73/32.png) [@Hydrocortisone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hydrocortisone)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2003, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looks-like-iraq-had-a-missle-deal-with-north-korea-with-the-help-of-syria/216216/1 "2003-12-01T07:06:54Z")
> **[A REGION INFLAMED: WEAPONS; For the Iraqis, a Missile Deal That Went Sour;...](https://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/01/world/region-inflamed-weapons-for-iraqis-missile-deal-that-went-sour-files-tell-talks.html)** > > Bush administration officials say computer files found in Iraq by international inspectors show Saddam Hussein's sons, generals and front companies were engaged in lengthy negotiations with North Korea for two years before American invasion of Iraq;... > [@](#): > > For two years before the American invasion of Iraq, Mr. Hussein’s sons, generals and front companies were engaged in lengthy negotiations with North Korea, according to computer files discovered by international inspectors and the accounts of Bush administration officials. > > The officials now say they believe that those negotiations — mostly conducted in neighboring Syria, apparently with the knowledge of the Syrian government — were not merely to buy a few North Korean missiles. > > Instead, the goal was to obtain a full production line to manufacture, under an Iraqi flag, the North Korean missile system, which would be capable of hitting American allies and bases around the region, according to the Bush administration officials. Looks like Saddam was still looking to be a threat to the region. Maybe the Bush administration wasn’t totally truthful, but thank God this guy is no longer a threat (as the liberals would have left him.) ---
**Author:** ![Michael\_Ellis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/977dab/32.png) [@Michael\_Ellis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael_Ellis)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2003, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looks-like-iraq-had-a-missle-deal-with-north-korea-with-the-help-of-syria/216216/2 "2003-12-01T07:14:15Z")
I was with you up to that last paranthetical bit. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2003, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looks-like-iraq-had-a-missle-deal-with-north-korea-with-the-help-of-syria/216216/3 "2003-12-01T07:42:09Z")
> [@](#): > > Maybe the Bush administration wasn’t totally truthful What exactly _did_ they tell the truth about? It’s late, and I’m not thinking too clearly, but I can’t think of a _single goddamned thing_ that they told us the truth about. Uranium? -no. Nukes? -no, Anthrax and smallpox? -no. Sarin, VX, and mustard? no. Long range missiles? -no. UAV’s? -no. Threat to the US? -no. Threat to the region? -no. These things were all claimed to be certainties. Now they try to justify the invasion with the weasel-lines like “officials now say they believe”? Why the hell should anyone care what these lying wankers now say they “believe”? They’re just trying to construct some political cover for the scum they work for. ---
**Author:** ![Hydrocortisone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e19b73/32.png) [@Hydrocortisone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hydrocortisone)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2003, 9:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looks-like-iraq-had-a-missle-deal-with-north-korea-with-the-help-of-syria/216216/4 "2003-12-01T09:07:32Z")
> [@](#): > > I can’t think of a single goddamned thing that they told us the truth about. Mass graves? ---
**Author:** ![RedFury](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ec9cab/32.png) [@RedFury](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedFury)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2003, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looks-like-iraq-had-a-missle-deal-with-north-korea-with-the-help-of-syria/216216/5 "2003-12-01T11:34:07Z")
Did you read the article, **Hydro**? From your cite: > [@](#): > > \*\*As war with the United States approached, though, the Iraqi files show that Mr. Hussein discovered what American officials say they have known for nearly a decade now: that Kim Jong Il, the North Korean leader, is less than a fully reliable negotiating partner. > > In return for a $10 million down payment, Mr. Hussein appears to have gotten nothing \*\* Seems to me all you’ve got is yet more scaremongering _after the fact_. ---
**Author:** ![Boo\_Boo\_Foo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@Boo\_Boo\_Foo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boo_Boo_Foo)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2003, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looks-like-iraq-had-a-missle-deal-with-north-korea-with-the-help-of-syria/216216/6 "2003-12-01T11:55:06Z")
Sounds like “clutching at straws” to me. Honestly, the only people on the planet who deserve to be trusted whatsoever regarding ANYTHING to do with Iraq prior to Gulf War 2003 are… ummm… yeah… ummm… I’ll get back to ya. Look, the way I see it is this - regardless of the strategic position Iraq holds at geographic level in the Middle East, the bottom line is that Iraq is awash with oil. And everybody wants to get some degree of influence on the place in some capacity. Some will do it covertly, and others openly. And if it means diving into revisionist history to achieve that end, they’ll do it. No one’s hands are clean when it comes to Iraq. Not for 25 years. I’m not going to trust any news regarding the build up to Gulf War 2003 for a long, long time. No matter where the news comes from. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2003, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looks-like-iraq-had-a-missle-deal-with-north-korea-with-the-help-of-syria/216216/7 "2003-12-01T12:02:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Hydrocortisone \* > \*\*Mass graves? \*\* Well they’d have got that info from Amnesty, Human Rights Watch and all them other liberal organizations. ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2003, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looks-like-iraq-had-a-missle-deal-with-north-korea-with-the-help-of-syria/216216/8 "2003-12-01T12:17:43Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Boo Boo Foo \* > **Not for 25 years.** Just 25? ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2003, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looks-like-iraq-had-a-missle-deal-with-north-korea-with-the-help-of-syria/216216/9 "2003-12-01T14:15:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Hydrocortisone \* > \*\*Mass graves? \*\* THAT’s what all you conservatives were peeing your pants over last February? You truly are a noble breed. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Beagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/85f322/32.png) [@Beagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beagle)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2003, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looks-like-iraq-had-a-missle-deal-with-north-korea-with-the-help-of-syria/216216/10 "2003-12-01T14:17:13Z")
Only liberals care about mass graves, and they don’t. ---
**Author:** ![edwino](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@edwino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/edwino)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2003, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looks-like-iraq-had-a-missle-deal-with-north-korea-with-the-help-of-syria/216216/11 "2003-12-01T15:04:23Z")
Just let me know when the conservative pundits start calling for invasion and rebuilding of the Congo. Then I’ll believe that the mass graves were a true reason we went to war. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2003, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looks-like-iraq-had-a-missle-deal-with-north-korea-with-the-help-of-syria/216216/12 "2003-12-01T15:42:16Z")
And thank God we no longer called him ally and gave him WMDs, as the conservtives under Reagan did. ---
**Author:** ![PatriotX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c4cdca/32.png) [@PatriotX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatriotX)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2003, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looks-like-iraq-had-a-missle-deal-with-north-korea-with-the-help-of-syria/216216/13 "2003-12-01T15:59:20Z")
This is old hat. ---
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2003, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looks-like-iraq-had-a-missle-deal-with-north-korea-with-the-help-of-syria/216216/14 "2003-12-01T16:12:53Z")
I’d say that the current admin would be highly delighted if we all got bored with debunking their propaganda. That way their message would then become the default reality. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2003, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looks-like-iraq-had-a-missle-deal-with-north-korea-with-the-help-of-syria/216216/15 "2003-12-01T16:24:05Z")
The only suprising thing about this thread is that hydro actually came back and posted twice. ---
**Author:** ![Binarydrone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3da27b/32.png) [@Binarydrone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Binarydrone)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2003, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looks-like-iraq-had-a-missle-deal-with-north-korea-with-the-help-of-syria/216216/16 "2003-12-01T16:32:31Z")
I don’t know guys; I think that you are being a bit unfair to the OP. I for one (as a Liberal) wanted nothing more than for Saddam Hussein to stay in power. Hell, I used to get big old boners just thinking about the way that he was oppressing his people. When you think about it, it really is simple. Liberals are just evil and wrong 100% of the time. Get with the program people ---
**Author:** ![Beagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/85f322/32.png) [@Beagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beagle)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2003, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looks-like-iraq-had-a-missle-deal-with-north-korea-with-the-help-of-syria/216216/17 "2003-12-02T02:22:03Z")
What we have here _hitches pants_ is a serious terminological breakdown. “Liberal” used to mean one thing, then Karl Marx was born. ---
**Author:** ![SPOOFE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2003, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looks-like-iraq-had-a-missle-deal-with-north-korea-with-the-help-of-syria/216216/18 "2003-12-02T02:31:52Z")
> [@](#): > > THAT’s what all you conservatives were peeing your pants over last February? I thought Liberals didn’t generalize. Or was that only when their boytoy was the Big Man on Campus? ---
**Author:** ![Waverly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/57b2e6/32.png) [@Waverly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waverly)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2003, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looks-like-iraq-had-a-missle-deal-with-north-korea-with-the-help-of-syria/216216/19 "2003-12-02T03:17:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \…according to the Bush administration officials. I’m not technically a liberal, but I found this funny. So… Bush’s own officials have interpreted evidence that, after the fact, would support their initial much questioned interpretation of evidence? Pull out your crayons and color me convinced. ---
**Author:** ![Astroboy14](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/df705f/32.png) [@Astroboy14](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Astroboy14)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2003, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looks-like-iraq-had-a-missle-deal-with-north-korea-with-the-help-of-syria/216216/20 "2003-12-02T03:29:16Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Binarydrone \* > \*\*When you think about it, it really is simple. Liberals are just evil and wrong 100% of the time. \*\* Yes! YES! by God!! Finally someone gets it! 😛 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looks-like-iraq-had-a-missle-deal-with-north-korea-with-the-help-of-syria/216216.md?page=2)