archy

No WMDs
I'm not the only one to point this story out, or the first, or anything significant, but some stories just demand a "nyaa, nyaa, nyaa, I told you so" chorus.

Official: U.S. ends search for WMD in Iraq

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- U.S. inspectors have ended their search for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq in recent weeks, a U.S. intelligence official told CNN.

The search ended almost two years after President Bush ordered the invasion of Iraq, citing concerns that Saddam Hussein was building weapons of mass destruction and may have hidden weapons stockpiles.

Members of the Iraq Survey Group were continuing to examine hundreds of documents and would investigate any new leads, the official said.

Charles A. Duelfer, who headed the Iraq Survey Group's search for WMD in Iraq, has returned to Iraq and is working on his final report, the official said.

I did not think Saddam posed any kind of threat to us in 2002 and was against the war from day one. This is not the same as saying I thought he was a nice man who deserved to stay in power. I've wanted to see him go since he was massacring Kurds back in the 70's. Bush could have made a case to finally get rid of Saddam based on human rights and regional stability. Such a case would have gone a long way toward convincing me and the rest of the world. Such a case would have preserved American credibility and international law. Bush chose to shred both with his clearly bogus WMD fairytale and unilateral bullying.

Well, now it's clear that it was all based on a lie. American credibility is at an all time low. Hundreds of American soldiers have been killed and thousands have been maimed and broken. Thousands of Iraqi civilians have been killed and tens thousands have been maimed and broken. If a real threat arises, our military is stretched dangerously thin. The Middle East is even less stable than before (who ever believed that would be possible). Global terrorism and anti-Americanism have been handed a recruiting bonanza. I would have expected "I told you so" to feel better than this.

And, yes, if someone does stumble across authentic stockpiles of America threatening Iraqi WMDs Bill Safire has every right to go "nyaa, nyaa, nyaa, I told you so" back at us. I'm not holding my breath.