Originally posted by BP:

i don't agree with you. a UN solution authorizing actionable force could've come about even without support/backing from France IF the inspectors had been allowed to finish their job AND there was evidence showing iraq was the imminent threat bush said they were...




I do not agree with you.
It is clear that the UN security counsel was compromised, at least 2 (France, Russia) and possibly 4 (Ukraine, Syria) members were paid off, with confirmation that France had fully sold its veto. That France told Powell one thing then the next day votes the other way is further evidence of this. Can we all just accept the fact that the UNSC was not on OUR side here..

I think it highly unlikely that UN inspectors would have put the issue of WMD to rest one way or another before invasion. 8 years of inspections left questions. We suspected France was telling Saddam where inspectors were heading in advance. Inspectors failed to find illegal Al Samood II missiles and French Mirage jets that were just as hard to bury in the sand as ANY WMD. Scientists and key officails were less accecessible and less likely to be forthcomming with Saddam in power.

More time for inspectors we now know would just be more time to hide,move to Syria, or whatever any WMD without any better intell as to their existance being made known. More time for inspectors ment more UN oil for food dollars pumped into Saddams coffers. More time that 4 aircraft carrier battle groups and 2 divisions would be tied up (their presence in the region was after all what got inspectors back in to Iraq). More French and soviet military hardware pumped into Iraq (we know it was being imported up to 3 weeks before invasion)....all just to be worse off that when we invaded.

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