BB: Hardly. WHERE did he get all the items mentioned in the first post, the (new) prohibited scuds, and all the other prohibited material that he did NOT have ( according to his own reports, and the UN) just after the Gulf war? I guess Santa brought them to him on a whim.

The missiles (and they weren't SCUDs, Oraq didn't have any SCUDs contrary to U.S. definitive assertions) were arguably permissible (the Iraqis thought that they were within the limits, with only a few test shots exceeding the nominal maximum range, and that without warheads; nonetheless the Iraqis agreed to destroy the al Samoud missiles rather than get into a pissing contest about the legality and give the U.S. an excuse to invade).

EVEN the UN stated that he was NOT cooperating, and had NOT complied.

There's a difference betewen "co-operating" and actually having any WoMD ... and sometimes "co-operation" is in the eyes of the beholder (fortunatey, the inspections were not dependent on any co-operation for success). If "non-cooperation" is to be a casus belli for a war of aggression, though, this world is going to turn into a pretty ugly place....

ONLY after the US had begun to mobilize troops did he even let the inspectors in to many areas, and THAT was AFTER the deadline and still not fully compliant.

So the troop mobilisation did the trick. Now then, dear Bruce, seeing as we got what we needed (and also seeing that the inspections were coming up pretty darn close to clean), care to explain to Cindy Sheehan and 2000 other mothers why their sons came home in a box?

Cheers,