Editorial: Making the case against Iraq

Thursday, Feb. 6, 2003 | 8:55 a.m.

On Wednesday Secretary of State Colin Powell, appearing before the United Nations' Security Council, made a convincing case that Iraq has failed to disarm. As part of the evidence presented, Powell played an intercepted audio tape from a Nov. 26 conversation between officers of Saddam Hussein's Republican Guard. On the day before U.N. weapons inspections resumed, the Iraqi officers discussed hiding a prohibited chemical-weapons vehicle from inspectors. Additionally, Powell produced a satellite photo from Dec. 22 that showed four munitions bunkers with active chemical munitions at the Taji weapons facility. At that same site, Powell noted, there was a decontamination vehicle in the event something went wrong. Another satellite photo showed Iraqis bulldozing and grading the site to conceal the fact that chemical weapons had been there prior to a visit by U.N . weapons inspectors.

Saddam is defying U.N. resolutions that Iraq disarm and account for what happened to its weapons of mass destruction that it maintained after the Gulf War. British Foreign Minister Jack Straw said Saddam is "gambling that we will lose our nerve rather than enforce our will." It's unlikely France or Germany will support military action to rid the Mideast of Saddam, but it's certain the United States, Britain and other European allies will form a military coalition to invade Iraq. The United States likely wouldn't have considered war against Iraq just a few years ago under the same circumstances. But after 9-11, we discovered that failure to confront an enemy -- whether it is a terrorist group or a rogue nation -- could be devastating.

Iraqi officials, after Powell spoke, continued to deny that they had biological and chemical weapons. Unless the Iraqis quickly reverse themselves and acknowledge the existence of their weapons program, or if Saddam doesn't find exile elsewhere, war very well could occur in a few weeks.