Still Hunting for Saddam's WMDs

If you thought the search for Iraqi weapons of mass destruction was over, think again. There are still 300 weapons experts from 50 countries active in a UN team spending millions of dollars of Iraqi oil money continuing the hunt.

They think they have the answer - there are no WMDs, none, nada, zilch, all gone. Now they're pretty much reduced to scouring international newspapers for tips or paying courtesy visits to world intelligence agencies for information, any information that might help them pass their day.

The problem is that the Security Council won't tell the inspectors that it's time for them to go home. Russia insists that Iraq's disarmament be formally certified by the inspectors. Certifying that nothing, not even a trace, exists anywhere in any corner or cave or bunker in Iraq is virtually impossible.

The inspectors also know that sophisticated equipment and chemicals that can be used to produce real WMDs do exist in Iraq. They say this "dual purpose" material left completely unguarded for months by US forces after the invasion was stolen by the insurgency, al-Qaeda and anyone else who wanted to help himself. The inspectors used satellite images of known sites to watch the stuff disappear on a daily basis. The recent use of chlorine gas bombs in populated areas is traced back to these unimpeded thefts. Good one, George w.