U.N. Weapons Inspectors Seek Open Access in Iraq
Chief inspector Hans Blix told reporters at the Vienna headquarters of the International Atomic Energy Agency that the talks would operate under the assumption that nothing in Iraq — including Saddam’s palaces — will be off- limits to inspectors hunting for nuclear, biological and chemical weaponry.
Here’s a prediction. By this time next week, Hans Blix will announce that the Iraqis have agreed in principle to allow U.N. weapons inspectors open access to any and all sites within Iraq. He might even wave a piece of paper in the air. Russia, China and France, perhaps joined by other members of the Security Council, will argue that this abrogates the need for new resolutions on the matter. The NYT and the WaPo will run headlines like “Saddam outmaneuvers Bush; agrees to open inspections.” The Bush administration will act like it has taken a shot to the knees for a day or so, come out with a response on the order of “Liar, Liar, pants on fire,” and go back to beating the war drum. The Senate Democrats will accuse Bush of leading the U.S. into war at all costs, and some leftist celebrity will call Saddam a “Man of Peace”*. The blogosphere with thrash through another round of debate on the topic of “does Bush have a plan or is he making it up as he goes along.” before returning to pretty much the same divisions it has today.
The week after that, Iraq will object to the makeup of the inspections teams, arguing that they are providing cover for U.S. spies. Blix returns to the negotiating table for more talks, and Saddam is a week closer to his bomb.
If they do have a plan, then Bush & Co. have gamed out all the possible variations of delay that Saddam is going to use, and has figured that he’ll exhaust those avenues sometime in January. Coincidentally or not, that’s one of the times most bruited about for the attack. If they don’t have a plan, they maybe we will see an attack in October or November, before Saddam has finished with his delaying tactics. You can expect the howls of protest to drown out the sound of bombs, at least at the beginning.
If it’s Babs, it will be “Man of Piece”
