He had already used chemical weapons against the Kurds and was scouring the world for nuclear technology. This evidence was accepted by everyone, including France, Germany, Russia, even Syria.

On the strength of this, the United Nations passed a succession of resolutions warning Iraq of “serious consequences” if it didn’t disarm. Even as late as last November, when the famous resolution 1441 was passed unanimously, no one was in any doubt.

So what changed? Saddam reluctantly let in the UN inspectors but led them a merry dance. It was a complete charade designed to stay the inevitable. What changed was that France, Germany and Russia, sensing that their commercial links with Iraq were at risk, bottled it.

The French, in particular, cynically seized an opportunity to embarrass the USA. Robin Cook, equally cynically, grabbed his chance to return to the backbenches in triumph — he was going to be sacked anyway — and launch his undeclared leadership bid.

But still no one can explain what happened to those 400 germ warheads and 500 chemical artillery shells. Is anyone seriously suggesting that Saddam destroyed them voluntarily? If so he could have done it in the full view of Hans Blix and his UN dupes — just as the IRA “decommission” a few rusty popguns for the benefit of gullible Scandinavian inspectors.

But he didn’t. So he forfeited the right to the benefit of the doubt. What were we supposed to do? Wait and see? Sit back complacently until a terrorist exploded an Iraqi-manufactured chemical, nuclear or biological bomb in London or New York?

If he buried them in the sand, we may never find them. But if we kid ourselves they never existed, we are burying our heads in the sand. Maybe they’re in Syria now. Or Iran.

In the meantime, while we continue to look for the WMDs, is anyone after seeing those mass graves going to say that the war wasn’t justified?

Of course, the aftermath is messy. War’s like that. But the Iraqi people have been freed from tyranny and a major threat to peace in the region, a supporter and sponsor of international terrorism has been extinguished.