To the Editor, 12/10/02

It was rather bold, the way Bush snatched Iraq's weapons declaration out of the UN's hands. Just imagine the reaction years ago if the Soviets had trampled on the Security Council's prerogatives the way the US has throughout this politically whipped-up standoff.

The facts are that Iraq's weapons programs were only activated during the years that Saddam was protected by the Reagan and then Bush administrations. Iraq admits it was quite close to building an atomic bomb just prior to the '91 Gulf War, while still officially a US ally. Since then, Saddam has been stripped of any credible military posture.

There's no great mystery why Bush wants to control the Iraqi declaration, as it's likely to contain incriminating details about US corporations, government agencies and politicians who helped to arm Iraq in the first place. There may even be evidence of US violations of various non-proliferation treaties. But now we'll never be certain whether the CIA vetted document ultimately released to the world is either accurate or complete.

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