Bush Sees WMD as Key to Fresh New Way Forward in Iraq

Washington, D.C., May 16, 2007 -- President Bush announced today his "Fresh New Way Forward" plan for Iraq, the strategy for which hinges primarily on the equipping of Iraqi forces with advanced weapons of mass destruction, or WMD.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice explains President Bush's Fresh New Way Forward plan for Iraq

The Fresh New Way Forward plan, or FNWF, is touted as a necessary follow-up to capitalize on the New Way Forward plan from March of this year, which hinged primarily on additional troop escalations over the January, 2007 Surge. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice briefed reporters on the updated strategy at the White House this morning.

"President Bush recognizes that the realization of Iraqi success depends on the resolve and capability of the democratically elected government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to quell the violence and terrorist activity, which we recognize as continuing to grow," Secretary Rice said.

"To achieve those objectives, the coalition of the willing must ensure that Prime Minister Maliki has the necessary tools at his disposal. Our analysis has determined that those tools include—in fact, depend on—advanced, up-to-date WMD, or weapons of mass destruction. We are confident that a WMD-equipped Maliki government will have the strength and determination to counteract escalating waves of insurgent activities, foreign-sponsored terrorism and sectarian reprisals, and to guarantee the continued stability of this vital region."

According to Secretary of State Rice, Bush's Fresh New Way Forward plan calls for the shipment of a diverse range of weapons of mass destruction to Maliki's government.

Shipments are expected to commence immediately, with full WMD outfitting of the Iraqi forces to be completed within three months.

"Iraq is currently in the grip of a range of destabilizing forces, both internal and external," Secretary Rice said. "Given that the American people recognize the challenge and promise of Iraq and share the resolve to see that promise through to victory, it would be reprehensible for us to refrain from providing the weaponry needed to help Prime Minister Maliki meet those challenges."

"Tactical nuclear weapons will be delivered within weeks to help Maliki construct a deterrent to Iran and Syria's cross-border interventions, and to counter large-scale insurgency operations," Secretary Rice continued.

"These portable, low-yield devices will provide an effective capacity to aggressively target weapons supply lines from hostile neighbors, as well as to ensure the threat of Iraqi reprisals within Iranian or Syrian territory should Maliki find it necessary to do so. Short-range missiles will be included in the tactical nukes package to heighten impact and clarity of purpose."

"Ample supplies of chemical munitions, together with mobile biological weapons laboratories designed and tested by US defense contractors, will ensure Prime Minister Maliki's ability to root out terrorist and insurgent strongholds using such tried-and-true compounds as anthrax and mustard gas, compounds that offer an effective destructive capacity with minimal compromising of Iraq's fragile and burgeoning infrastructure. These laboratories will also provide a deterrent to Kurdish efforts toward self-determination, which themselves threaten to destabilize the region by potentially leading Turkey toward action to aggressively quash the threat of Kurdish secession within its own territory, possibly including armed invasion of Northern Iraq."

Secretary Rice stressed that the weapons of mass destruction would be provided by the United States to the Iraqi government only after "firm assurances" have been received that they will solely be used as part of a campaign to strengthen the democratically-elected Iraqi government, not for internal reprisals, ethnic cleansing, or other "irresponsible activities", such as a new invasion of Iran.

To further speed the transition of Iraq to a full-fledged Jeffersonian democracy, Secretary Rice said, the United States will sanction a series of short-term measures proposed by Prime Minister Maliki's administration to "quell violence or the incitement to violence and repress anti-democracy-building activities".

These measures include: the indefinite imposition of martial law; the dissolution of the Iraqi Parliament and most of its ministries; a temporary suspension of press freedom, with all publications and broadcasts to require the prior approval of the Prime Minister; the purging of Islamists from all branches of federal, provincial, and local government; the suspension of term limits for the Prime Minister; and a country-wide sunset curfew to remain in effect "until things start to quiet down".

"This is the first really cohesive, gutsy move on Iraq I've seen," William Kristol, editor of The Weekly Standard, a conservative Washington, D.C. publication, said in response to the proposals. "This is the kind of complete package I think a lot of us were hoping to get from the Iraq Study Group report, which as we know turned out to be just a mish-mash of defeatist nonsense."

"Giving Iraq nukes will let the country act as a solid deterrent to Iranian hegemony in the region, and will make Syria think twice about sending money or IED components," Mr. Kristol continued. "Purging the Islamists will guarantee that Iraq emerges as a secular democracy, and reduce the risk of alliances forming with other groups that seek regional Muslim dominance. The chemical and bio-weapons will help keep the Kurds under control – they certainly remember what happened under Saddam. And having the capability to counter insurgent or sectarian violence by vaporizing or gassing entire regions should bottle that kind of stuff up in no time. Plus it makes sense to centralize the powers of government in the person of the Prime Minister – sometimes a hard-line approach is the only approach."

Secretary Rice said she and President Bush are confident the "Fresh New Way Forward" will yield "immediate results that will crystallize the mission of the United States in Iraq and lead to stability and security for years, if not decades, in the region."

By Ion Zwitter, Avant News Editor