# US media report forces to stop searching for WMDs in Iraq **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [May 12, 2003, 9:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-media-report-forces-to-stop-searching-for-wmds-in-iraq/174657 "2003-05-12T09:37:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![elfje](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19b73/32.png) [@elfje](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfje)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2003, 9:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-media-report-forces-to-stop-searching-for-wmds-in-iraq/174657/1 "2003-05-12T09:37:43Z")
US media report forces to stop searching for WMDs in Iraq 19:37 Sunday May 11th 2003 It’s reported that the American forces searching for weapons of mass destruction in Iraqi are pulling out. The Washington Post claims that the exploitation task force is dismantling its operations, after it failed to find any biological or chemical weapons. Members of the team told the US newspaper that they no longer expected to find any such weapons, and had found targets identified by Washington to be inaccurate [http://www.unison.ie/breakingnews/index.php3?ca=33&si=35151](http://www.unison.ie/breakingnews/index.php3?ca=33&si=35151) well, whaddayaknow. No WMD, huh? American search teams saying they don’t think they’ll find any. So what was this war about again? Regime change? Oil? The first would be illegal under Internation Law (but hey, who’s going to punish the US?) The second would amount to international robbery. Or does anyone have another theory? love to hear it. ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2003, 10:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-media-report-forces-to-stop-searching-for-wmds-in-iraq/174657/2 "2003-05-12T10:21:09Z")
Here’s the [Washington Post](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A40212-2003May10.html) article that is referred to in the link from the OP. It does mention that > [@](#): > > The hunt will continue under a new Iraq Survey Group, which the Bush administration has said is a larger team. But the organizers are drawing down their weapons staffs for lack of work, and adding expertise for other missions. That said, the war was about WMD and the **immediate** threat to the US and UK. I don’t see anything that even hints at what this made this threat a realistic one. Perhaps we were lied to 😉 ---
**Author:** ![London\_Calling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@London\_Calling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/London_Calling)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2003, 10:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-media-report-forces-to-stop-searching-for-wmds-in-iraq/174657/3 "2003-05-12T10:23:52Z")
And for information purposes, here’s links to the two threads where the original article and issues are currently being discussed; [Alright: Where Are The Weapons of Mass Destruction?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=182754&pagenumber=2) [How long should it take to find the WMDs in Iraq?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=182866&pagenumber=2) Having said that, I’m sure that won’t stop another … ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2003, 10:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-media-report-forces-to-stop-searching-for-wmds-in-iraq/174657/4 "2003-05-12T10:42:22Z")
Cheers **L\_C** I’ve been away for a week+ (moving house) and am only getting back up to speed with what’s happening on the board. ---
**Author:** ![London\_Calling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@London\_Calling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/London_Calling)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2003, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-media-report-forces-to-stop-searching-for-wmds-in-iraq/174657/5 "2003-05-12T10:51:02Z")
No worries, the issues is discussed at the end of those two so, maybe, another thread actually on point wouldn’t hurt. Moving house is the worst thing in the world for me … it could drive a man to drink if he wasn’t careful. ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2003, 10:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-media-report-forces-to-stop-searching-for-wmds-in-iraq/174657/6 "2003-05-12T10:55:33Z")
I was driven to drink a long time ago, actually I got a taxi. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2003, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-media-report-forces-to-stop-searching-for-wmds-in-iraq/174657/7 "2003-05-12T11:55:57Z")
“It was a blonde first drove me to drink. And I never even thanked her” - WC Fields ---
**Author:** ![Aro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b3f665/32.png) [@Aro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aro)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2003, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-media-report-forces-to-stop-searching-for-wmds-in-iraq/174657/8 "2003-05-12T12:18:30Z")
On a side note, [**Claire Short**](http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/3019871.stm)has now resigned on the post-war issues: > [@](#): > > She told BBC News: "The position the UK’s adopting in the Security Council is totally dishonourable and breaches the promises that the UN would have the proper role in bringing into being a legitimate interim Iraqi authority. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2003, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-media-report-forces-to-stop-searching-for-wmds-in-iraq/174657/9 "2003-05-12T19:17:25Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by elfje \* > So what was this war about again? Regime change? Oil? _ **Bzzzt!** _ “I’ll take ‘oil and power’ for $500, Alex!” _Dingdingdingdingdingdingdingdingding!_ “Very good, **rjung,** ‘Oil and power’ is the correct answer. Do you want to take the double-or-nothing bonus question?” “Sure thing!” “Okay, here’s the first part: 'What members of the Bush Administration lied to the world to get this war going?” _ **Bzzzt!** _ “All of them!” _Ding!_ “Okay, and the second part: ‘When will the American public rise up in indignation and demand a thorough investigation into this whole fiasco?’” _ **Bzzzt!** _ “Never, because we’re mindless sheep!” _Dingdingdingdingdingdingdingdingding!_