Where's the press conference of families of terrorism victims calling on President Bush to stop negotiating with terrorists? Come on all you rich angry Dems out there, we can be a real political party if we only click our heels, clap our hands, and believe.
From AP:
A senior Iraqi official said Wednesday that a decision had been made to release a top female germ-warfare scientist for Saddam Hussein, but Iraq's leader and U.S. officials moved quickly to squelch the idea that she would be freed soon. Iraqi militants who beheaded two Americans have threatened to kill a Briton unless female detainees are let go....
The conflicting U.S. and Iraqi statements raised questions over who has authority in the country, even after the handover of sovereignty to Allawi's interim government in June. U.S. officials have been saying that they have been giving more decision-making power to Iraqis, including over security matters.
The U.S. military says it has two Iraqi women in custody, both high-profile security detainees held at an undisclosed location — Rihab Rashid Taha, a scientist who became known as "Dr. Germ" for helping Iraq make weapons out of anthrax, and Huda Salih Mahdi Ammash, a biotech researcher known as "Mrs. Anthrax."
Justice Ministry spokesman Noori Abdul-Rahim Ibrahim announced that "Iraqi authorities have agreed with coalition forces to conditionally release Rihab Rashid Taha on bail." He added that the decision "has nothing to do with the threat made by the kidnappers."
But soon afterward, a U.S. Embassy spokesman ruled out any immediate release. The two female scientists from Saddam's regime "are in our legal and physical custody. Legal status of these two and many others is under constant review," the spokesman said.
