# October Surprise Drudge Style: Putin, Iraqi WMDs & The Pentagon - Let the Sparks Fly **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 28, 2004, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/october-surprise-drudge-style-putin-iraqi-wmds-the-pentagon-let-the-sparks-fly/271612 "2004-10-28T03:13:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Merijeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Merijeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merijeek)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2004, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/october-surprise-drudge-style-putin-iraqi-wmds-the-pentagon-let-the-sparks-fly/271612/21 "2004-10-28T13:38:30Z")
> [@Debaser](#): > > **Aldebaran** , go fuck yourself. Actually, much as I would like **aldebaran** to go fuck himself, I had thoughts along similar lines. My first thought was along the lines of “Looks like people are starting to see through the Terrorist sham. The Forever War needs a bigger target.” -Joe ---
**Author:** ![NurseCarmen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5daacb/32.png) [@NurseCarmen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NurseCarmen)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2004, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/october-surprise-drudge-style-putin-iraqi-wmds-the-pentagon-let-the-sparks-fly/271612/22 "2004-10-28T13:44:25Z")
It would appear that my local news channel has been swept up into the frey. As luck would have it, [they](http://www.kstp.com/article/stories/S3723.html?cat=1) were the ones embedded with the 101st Airborne, and tagged along with them on **April 18, 2003** when they inspected bunkers in an area that their GPS receivers identified as the southern edge of the Al Qaqaa installation. And they have plenty of video evidence showing piles and piles of explosives. ---
**Author:** ![Aldebaran](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Aldebaran](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aldebaran)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2004, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/october-surprise-drudge-style-putin-iraqi-wmds-the-pentagon-let-the-sparks-fly/271612/23 "2004-10-28T13:53:01Z")
**Debaser** you have showed nothing else then to be able to write an idiotic attempt to a vulgar attack to a poster, instead of adressing the post. Makes me think that my post was accurate enough to provoke you to show yourself from your most intelligent side. By the way, can you and **merijeek** both post a picture how you actually do to yourselves what you implied to be wishing me to do to myself? You must have experience with this. If you have not… Can I conclude from this that it is a habit for you to write and rant about things you have no idea about at all? Salaam. A ---
**Author:** ![NurseCarmen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5daacb/32.png) [@NurseCarmen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NurseCarmen)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2004, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/october-surprise-drudge-style-putin-iraqi-wmds-the-pentagon-let-the-sparks-fly/271612/24 "2004-10-28T13:58:35Z")
I encourage you all to follow my link from above. I do believe it makes the argument of when the explosives were removed moot. ---
**Author:** ![vibrotronica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/a9a28c/32.png) [@vibrotronica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vibrotronica)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2004, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/october-surprise-drudge-style-putin-iraqi-wmds-the-pentagon-let-the-sparks-fly/271612/25 "2004-10-28T15:32:37Z")
Odd that the White House would try to foist this off on the Russians when Putin just [tacitly endorsed Bush?](http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/politics/10035055.htm?1c) > [@](#): > > Putin, for instance, appears to be trading support for Bush in the war on terror for diminished criticism of Russia’s heavy-handed campaign against separatist rebels in Chechnya. > > The Russian leader said during a trip to Tajikistan that attacks on coalition forces in Iraq were aimed at defeating Bush. “If they achieve that goal, then that will give international terrorism a new impulse and extra power,” he said. > > Putin opposed the invasion of Iraq. But the statement equating a Bush defeat with a victory by terrorists was a clear indication of support, although he has refused to say explicitly which candidate he likes better. ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2004, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/october-surprise-drudge-style-putin-iraqi-wmds-the-pentagon-let-the-sparks-fly/271612/26 "2004-10-28T17:02:26Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > We have intellligence operatives. _They_ have spies. I thiought we outsourced all our spying to India. ---
**Author:** ![wring](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@wring](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wring)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2004, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/october-surprise-drudge-style-putin-iraqi-wmds-the-pentagon-let-the-sparks-fly/271612/27 "2004-10-28T19:01:04Z")
> [@Aldebaran](#): > > [By the way, can you (snip) both post a picture how you actually do to yourselves what you implied to be wishing me to do to myself? You must have experience with this. If you have not… Can I conclude from this that it is a habit for you to write and rant about things you have no idea about at all? > > Salaam. A I like this answer. ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2004, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/october-surprise-drudge-style-putin-iraqi-wmds-the-pentagon-let-the-sparks-fly/271612/28 "2004-10-28T19:09:42Z")
> [@EddyTeddyFreddy](#): > > Then maybe we’d better hire some of their spies, since our _cough_ intelligence _cough_ operatives seem to be tripping over their clown shoes. It’s not their fault. The good ones are being outed, ignored, repressed, or fired. ---
**Author:** ![Merijeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Merijeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merijeek)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2004, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/october-surprise-drudge-style-putin-iraqi-wmds-the-pentagon-let-the-sparks-fly/271612/29 "2004-10-28T21:12:49Z")
> [@wring](#): > > I like this answer. Actually, it reminded me of a monkey pounding on a keyboard. No idea what he was trying to say. Of course, only a chimp would lash out at someone agreeing with him. But it’s not like I’d expect anything better from him. -Joe ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2004, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/october-surprise-drudge-style-putin-iraqi-wmds-the-pentagon-let-the-sparks-fly/271612/30 "2004-10-28T21:25:32Z")
Just in from the **'Luce Report** (_Fair and unbalanced!_…) One of the cable newsies relates that the Pentagon officially says “WTF?!” about the Russian rumor. They have no idea where this guy got his info, no clue as to what he’s talking about, so on and so forth. Presumably, he’s polishing his resume right about now… ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2004, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/october-surprise-drudge-style-putin-iraqi-wmds-the-pentagon-let-the-sparks-fly/271612/31 "2004-10-28T23:08:42Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > the Pentagon officially says “WTF?!” about the Russian rumor. They have no idea where this guy got his info, no clue as to what he’s talking about, so on and so forth. The Russians in Iraq bit probably has to do with negotiations between Saddam and the Russian LUKOIL in late 2002: [Iraq Snubs Moscow, Scraps Big Russia Oil Contract](http://www.globalpolicy.org/security/oil/2002/1212snub.htm) > [@](#): > > (December 12, 2002) > Iraq has scrapped a $3.7-billion oilfield deal with Russia’s LUKOIL, the company said on Thursday, dealing a blow to Moscow’s hopes of keeping a strong economic foothold there after U.S. military action. > And the decision seemed sure to rebound on Baghdad’s political ties with Russia, Iraq’s closest ally on the United Nations Security Council. > A LUKOIL spokesman said an Iraqi deputy oil minister had told company president Vagit Alekperov by letter that the contract to develop Iraq’s huge West Qurna oilfield had been canceled on December 9. Despite the headline, negotiations, and possibly site visits(?) continued for some time. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/october-surprise-drudge-style-putin-iraqi-wmds-the-pentagon-let-the-sparks-fly/271612.md?page=1)