Christopher Hitchens and other quasi-qualmist hawks are trying to bolster their fractured justifications for the war. They assert that post invasion looting at Iraqi weapon dumps indicates the presence of WMDs.
If Saddam’s people could have made such a transfer after his fall, then they could have made it much more easily during his reign. (We know, for example, that the Baathists were discussing the acquisition of long-range missiles from North Korea as late as March 2003, and at that time, the nuclear Wal-Mart of the A.Q. Khan network was still in business. Iraq would have had plenty to trade in this WMD underworld.)
But the only reason we know this material is gone, is because we knew it existed. The UN Inspectors knew he had machinery, chemicals, high explosives and other sorts of precursors at these sites. The material taken at Al-Qaqaa had been tagged and sealed by the UN.
The only theory these looting stories support is that which says the inspectors were doing their job correctly.
Moreover, even if Saddam had been in contact with North Korea or A.Q. Khan (a claim presented without citation by Mr. Hitchens) then perhaps we would be better to confront the dealer than the user.
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