Saddam, Just Biding His Time

One of the most significant findings of the Duelfer report was that, “[Saddam] wanted to end sanctions while preserving the capability to reconstitute his weapons of mass destruction (WMD) when sanctions were lifted.” Unless the sanctions, which harmed the Iraqi people more than they did the country’s dictator, were left in place indefinitely, Saddam would have retained the ability to produce more WMDs. That ability made him not only a danger in the region but a threat to America's security.

"With the infusion of funding and resources following acceptance of the oil-for-food program, Iraq effectively shortened the time that would be required to re-establish [chemical weapon] production capacity," Mr. Duelfer said. "By 2003, Iraq would have been able to produce mustard agent in a period of months and nerve agent in less than a year or two."

Thank God, President Bush did not trust this madman. Saddam's allies were subverting the sanctions and working toward having them removed. I shudder to think of the horrors Saddam would have unleashed on the world.