Drocket
07-25-2006, 01:37 AM
The Bush administration acknowledged yesterday that it had long known about Pakistan's plans to build a large plutonium-production reactor, but it said the White House was working to dissuade Pakistan from using the plant to expand its nuclear arsenal.
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The reactor, which reportedly will be capable of producing enough plutonium for as many as 50 bombs each year, was brought to light on Sunday by independent analysts who spotted the partially completed plant in commercial-satellite photos. Snow said the administration had "known of these plans for some time."
The acknowledgment came as arms-control experts and some in Congress expressed alarm about a possible escalation of South Asia's arms race. Some also sharply criticized the administration for failing to disclose the existence of a facility that could influence an upcoming congressional debate over U.S. nuclear policy toward India and Pakistan.
Washington Post story (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/24/AR2006072400995.html)
So, the Bush administration has now invaded one country, Iraq, because of vague and totally false rumors of a nuclear program, pretty much given another country, India, permission to go ahead with its nuclear program, all but ignored another country's (North Korea) nuclear program, made a big stink about ANOTHER country's nuclear program (Iran), and now we find out that they've deliberately withheld knowledge about another country's nuclear program. Can anyone say 'schizophrenia'?
Will this finally be the wakeup call to the Republicans in Congress that Bush considers them irrelivent? Eh, I doubt it.
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The reactor, which reportedly will be capable of producing enough plutonium for as many as 50 bombs each year, was brought to light on Sunday by independent analysts who spotted the partially completed plant in commercial-satellite photos. Snow said the administration had "known of these plans for some time."
The acknowledgment came as arms-control experts and some in Congress expressed alarm about a possible escalation of South Asia's arms race. Some also sharply criticized the administration for failing to disclose the existence of a facility that could influence an upcoming congressional debate over U.S. nuclear policy toward India and Pakistan.
Washington Post story (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/24/AR2006072400995.html)
So, the Bush administration has now invaded one country, Iraq, because of vague and totally false rumors of a nuclear program, pretty much given another country, India, permission to go ahead with its nuclear program, all but ignored another country's (North Korea) nuclear program, made a big stink about ANOTHER country's nuclear program (Iran), and now we find out that they've deliberately withheld knowledge about another country's nuclear program. Can anyone say 'schizophrenia'?
Will this finally be the wakeup call to the Republicans in Congress that Bush considers them irrelivent? Eh, I doubt it.