This NYT article on the state of Iraq's WMD programs is a must-read. Stating that Iraq's weapons programs were "in a state of disarray" as BushCo prepared to go to war, the article details how
Iraq plunged into what he called a "vortex of corruption," when government activities began to spin out of control because an increasingly isolated and fantasy-riven Saddam Hussein had insisted on personally authorizing major projects without input from others.After the onset of this "dark ages," Dr. Kay said, Iraqi scientists realized they could go directly to Mr. Hussein and present fanciful plans for weapons programs, and receive approval and large amounts of money. Whatever was left of an effective weapons capability, he said, was largely subsumed into corrupt money-raising schemes by scientists skilled in the arts of lying and surviving in a fevered police state.
Hm. Does this remind you of anything?
Saddam would feel right at home in the Bush administration, with its plans for centralized Office of Management and Budget peer review of scientific research. But then, Bush's record shows that the feeling is mutual.
Posted by Chris at January 26, 2004 01:26 PM