Exclusive: Raw Story chats with Scott Ritter
By Larisa Alexandrovna | RAW STORY Staff
Ritter Interviewsorry about the special character-FUs, only way i can ever grab text from Raw Story is by opening the page in M$ Word which doesn't translate the character codes perfectly. don't have time to edit right nowIn a candid interview with RAW STORY, former UN weapons inspector Scott Ritter sets the record straight on his comments about Iran, shares his concerns about the threats facing America and discusses his hopes. RAW STORYs interview with Ritter will be published in three parts.
Irans nuclear program
Raw Storys Larisa Alexandrovna: Scott, first let me thank you for taking the time to speak with me. I want to get right to the meat of things by asking you about a comment you reportedly made in February of this year in your joint appearance with journalist Dahr Jamail in Washington state, where you were quoted as saying that George W. Bush had signed off on plans to bomb Iran in June 2005.
Former UN weapons inspector Scott Ritter: No. Someone else wrote that I had said that.
Raw Story: So it is not correct?
Ritter: It is not wildly incorrect, but it is taken totally out of context. The emphasis is placed on the wrong things. What I said was that the President, in October of 2004, had been briefed by the Pentagon. In preparation to have in place by June 2005 a viable military option. This was in response to instructions by the President that the US must be prepared to implement the next phase of its Iran policy or strategy; the first phase of course being the pursuit of the so called diplomatic option-in other words allowing the European Union to carry out its outreach program...
Iraq's elections, the full circle to Iran
Ritter: It is amazing people are walking away from this one. The US cooked the election in Iraq. For three days after the election the Shia were saying “we” had 60 percent of the vote. The election was flawed to begin with. I was not a big supporter of having a so called democratic election under martial law where 300,000 troops were securing the scene. I don’t think anyone would endorse elections under those conditions. Yet they did manage to vote. Anyone with a brain on their shoulders would know that if you have an open election, the Shia would win.
Raw Story: And they did win. So how was the election "cooked"?
Ritter: The way the law was given to the Iraqis (my emphasis) - that L. Paul Bremer wrote and gave to Prime Minister Allawi...
and
Ritter: Well suddenly, three days later after the election. We have a secret recount and ballads appear, disappear now this is not Florida, and you don’t have TV cameras holding up the chads in front of everybody.
Raw Story: Missing ballots, secret recount, magically appearing new ballots... I can see how this is not Florida.
Ritter Well I am talking about Iraq right now.
Raw Story: So there is no logic behind this?
Ritter: Well, let's change the environment that you are operating in... your thinking from a national security perspective how odDD?!. Rethink this from a domestic political consideration here in America, from the perspective of a radical minority called the neocons.
deja vu all over again, circles are designed to circle!
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