Marc,

When we talk about honesty on the WMD issue too often we over look how we got there. Iraq was required to account for its WMD by virtue of a cease fire agreement and some 16 or so UN resolutions. It was never able to do so and was given one last chance before the war in 2003.

After we defeated Saddam's army, the US was also unable to account for all of Saddam's WMD. To suggest that the President was dishonest because of the failure of both sides to account for the weapons is to lose the plot. It is a diversion from the inarguable facts, but it has had serious political consequences in support for the war effort.

What should be clear is that if we were not able to account for these weapons with unfettered access, then it would have been impossible for the UN or Iraq to have accounted for the missing weapons given his limited "cooperation."

One of the ironies of the debate about "lying about WMD" is that those who are most likely to make that argument never challenged Iraq's failure to account for his WMD and opposed the war anyway because they thought Saddam would use the WMD.