Nothing But Politics

[Rick Faurot]

U.S. Inspector at Odds with Bush on Iraq Weapons
Wed Oct 6, 2004 11:58 AM ET

By Vicki Allen

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Iraq had no stockpiles of biological and chemical weapons before last year's U.S.-led invasion and its nuclear program had decayed since the 1991 Gulf War, a weapons inspector appointed by the Bush administration said on Wednesday.

The assessment contrasted with statements by President Bush before the invasion, when he cited a growing threat from Iraq's weapons of mass destruction as the reason for overthrowing President Saddam Hussein.

"I still do not expect that militarily significant WMD stocks are cached in Iraq," Charles Duelfer, the CIA special adviser who led the hunt for weapons of mass destruction, said in testimony prepared for the Senate Armed Services Committee obtained by Reuters.

He said Iraq's nuclear weapons program had deteriorated since the 1991 Gulf War, but he said Saddam did not abandon his nuclear ambitions.

The issue has figured prominently in the campaign for the Nov. 2 U.S. presidential election, with Bush's Democratic opponent John Kerry saying Bush rushed to war without allowing U.N. inspections enough time to check out Iraq's armaments.