Last week, after pressure from bloggers led to pressure on the media which led to pressure on the government, the Pentagon admitted it used White Phosphorous as a weapon in Iraq. However the Pentagon (and many others) said that WP was not a chemical weapon.
I’ve seen long and passionate analysis about how and why it shouldn’t be considered a chemical weapon. A truly horrific weapon, which melts the skin off of human beings, but not technically a “chemical weapon”.
Except that the Pentagon itself has previously classified WP as a chemical weapon:
The controversy over the American use of white phosphorus as a weapon of war in Fallujah deepened yesterday when it was revealed that a US intelligence assessment had characterised WP as a “chemical weapon”.
The Italian journalist who sparked the controversy, Sigfrido Ranucci, told a press conference in Rome that while a colleague was browsing American Defence Department websites he had stumbled on a declassified intelligence report from the first Gulf War.
The irony is so painful it draws blood. When Evil Tyrant(TM) Saddam Hussein uses WP, then it’s a chemical weapon. When the United States does, then it’s a “standard munition”. Incredible.
You can read the declassified DOD page here for yourself, including this passage:
IRAQI FORCES LOYAL TO PRESIDENT SADDAM ((HUSSEIN)) MAY HAVE POSSIBLY USED WHITE PHOSPHOROUS (WP) CHEMICAL WEAPONS AGAINST KURDISH REBELS AND THE POPULACE IN ERBIL (GEOCOORD:3412N/04401E) (VICINITY OF IRANIAN BORDER) AND DOHUK (GEOCOORD:3652N/04301E) (VICINITY OF IRAQI BORDER) PROVINCES, IRAQ. THE WP CHEMICAL WAS DELIVERED BY ARTILLERY ROUNDS AND HELICOPTER GUNSHIPS
So let’s review:
- Saddam uses WP? It’s classified as a chemical weapon
- U.S. uses WP in Fallujah and elsewhere? Originally denied by Pentagon and gov’t
- Bloggers discover documentation of its use and RAI Italian channel produces horrifying documentary on its use? Pentagon admits its use
- Pentagon and “experts” all say its NOT a chemical weapon
Rinse lather and repeat.
I guess the “character” of the commander-in-chief ordering the use of WP against civilians is now the determining factor on whether or not WP is a chemical weapon, eh?
Peace
