Written by: Beck

So anyway, turns out there weren't any weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. But nuclear bomb making materials have gone missing. Wait. What was that?

Equipment which could be used in an illicit nuclear bomb programme has disappeared from previously monitored sites in Iraq, and radioactively contaminated items from there have been found abroad, the International Atomic Energy Agency has told the UN.

Installations in Saddam Hussein's former nuclear bomb programme were being systematically dismantled, its director general, Mohammed ElBaradei, has told the security council, warning of the implications for trafficking.

Am I missing something here? There were no WMD, yes, fine, sure. But Saddam had a whole series of installations for making nuclear weapons? What, were we not supposed to invade until he'd actually put the parts together to make a bomb?

"The invasion of Iraq was supposed to be about stopping weapons of mass destruction. It was supposed to be about stopping nuclear materials from getting out from under UN control," Greenpeace said yesterday.

"The only winners in this story are those who are looking to capitalise on security failures by scoring loose nukes."

Wait, there were loose nukes? OK, that's a statement from Greenpeace, I won't do the injustice of accusing anti-war people of taking Greenpeace seriously. But wait, there's more!
In June, just before the US handed authority in Iraq to the interim government, the

US forces secretly flew almost two tonnes of uranium and associated equipment from Iraq to the US, causing a diplomatic row with the IAEA, which is mandated to monitor and verify the nuclear complexes and stockpiles.

The IAEA, Dr ElBaradei said, "continues to be concerned about the widespread and apparently systematic dismantlement that has taken place at sites previously relevant to Iraq's nuclear programme".

Godamnit. Why on earth hasn't Bush made more noise about the fact that we found TWO TONS of uranium in Iraq? To sum up: Saddam had uranium and a nuclear bomb making program. But there were no WMD and we had no legitimate reason to conduct a preemptive strike. Yeah.

Oh, and one last thing. Lest anyone conclude that the missing materials scandal is some sort of black eye for Bush, have a quick look at this follow-up article.

"The locations that belong to the Science and Technology ministry are secure and under our control," [Iraq's Science and Technology Minister Rashad] Omar told Reuters.

He said nothing had disappeared since a looting spree shortly after last year's U.S.-led invasion, which the United States and Britain said was to rid Iraq of weapons of mass destruction. Both countries now admit Saddam had no banned weapons.

Omar said Tuwaitha, a vast compound south of Baghdad that included Iraq's main nuclear facility, was being turned into a science park. "The IAEA came back one month ago, they inspected the plant and others and didn't say anything.

"We are transparent. We are happy for the IAEA or any other organization to come and inspect," he said, adding that he had not seen the agency's report to the Security Council.

You see, it turns out the IAEA hadn't been in Iraq since long before the war. They drew their conclusions from satellite imagery, but what's been going on on the ground has been with the knowledge and consent of the occupation authority. I guess after being made to feel monumentally impotent by Iran, the IAEA feels the need to assert themselves by making mountains where not even molehills exist.