re: saddam - the real threat But it is not individual dictators,...

re: saddam - the real threat But it is not individual dictators, scurrying from bunker to bunker, who are the true problem. (Saddam is a cautious, cringing old conservative when it comes to risk-taking for himself.) The problem is the weapons themselves. Conventions against biological and chemical threats begin at home, in the homeland. Nuclear non-proliferation picks up where Mr Bush and Mr Blair - and their four unhelpful little words - leave off.

Fallguy, It's always a pleasure to read your well reasoned and informed posts. You have a rare intelligence to be able to see through the political charades that dupe the general public, and regrettably many on this forum. Preventing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction should be the number one foreign policy goal of the US but, as you astutely point out, this should be done through international treaties and global disarmament.

It is the height of hypocrisy for the US to say 'you can't have em but I can'. Iraq is near a dangerous, expansionist country with a history of aggressive action in the region (invading Lebanon, Egypt etc). Israel is bristling with nuclear weapons and has an unstable and corrupt government at the helm. Its not unreasonable for Iraq to wish to arm itself in kind. The goal should be regional, then global disarmament.

The duplicitous and aggressive behavior of the US, its lenient attitude towards the new members of the nuclear club, Pakistan and India, and its sabotage of international treaties have encouraged the spread of weapons of mass destruction. The solution to this problem begins at home.