Doc,

Kristoff and Krugman, "highly respected" columnists at the New York Times (two men who have gotten just about everything wrong in Iraq), are whining that WMD still haven't been found.

Kristoff actually accuses the US of manipulating intelligence and fabricating evidence. I have news for the professor: if the US was doing that, we already would have found WMD. They would have been perfectly arranged for their photo ops by those dastardly folks in the CIA. We wouldn't be poking around, rooting through rusty barrels of insecticides.

The columns are also poorly timed .This whole event is a developing story. It's very possible that this truck is exactly what we think it is, and that these two columnists will need a new whine: OK, so he did have illegal weapons-producing facilities. But there was no evidence that he was actually going to do anything with them! (No, not a guy like Saddam!) This is just a technicality!

The WMD question is important. I believe they’ll turn up. There are too many pieces of evidence, even for a novice like me.

Some of Saddam’s highest ranking, and most pampered, officials were biologists, chemists and nuclear scientists. Dictators aren’t usually fond scientists. The scientific search for truth is seen as a threat by the dictator, UNLESS the scientist might be able to give something he wants.

I don’t think Saddam wanted to make pharmaceuticals. He wasn’t interested in cornering the world plastics market, or making genetically modified food (if he were, he would have faced the full strength of Europe’s armed might…hee, hee…).

He was known to have tons of the dangerous stuff in 1998. If he destroyed it all, where is the evidence? If you destroy five tons of mustard gas shells, there going to be things left around. Dangerous residues, etc...Why didn’t he show the world? Why didn’t he just let the inspectors in with no conditions on the size of their group? Why were they forbidden to use aircraft? Or travel without minders?

Also very important: Bush and Blair have both made statements in the last two days expressing confidence that WMD will be found.

Voluntarily.

They are keeping the issue alive.

A desperate man, seized with doubt, begins to cover his bases a little better:

“Look, there is more to this war than WMD,” he would be expected to say. “The liberation aspect is very important, and look at all the good things we are doing there…”

But they are not doing that. Ari Fleisher has been very clear and consistent: this is the most important issue.

I think they know they’ll be vindicated.

- posted by total @ 5/08/2003 06:04:00 AM .