Deluded to the End

Hans Blix reflects on his failed weapons inspection program. He regrets that inspections are coming to an end “when [Iraq’s] government was providing more cooperation than it has in more than a decade.” Blix seems not to understand that Iraq’s newfound “cooperation” is due entirely to the presence of 250,000 troops on its borders.
Blix still hasn’t lost his faith in human nature. He admits that Iraq has the ability to use chemical and biological weapons against coalition forces–which would seem to moot the whole issue ostensibly addressed by the inspectors–but says, “I doubt that they will have the will.” Blix explains that there are “some people who care about their reputation even after death.” It is hard to know what to make of a person this dense. The photo below could hardly be more welcome–it shows the U.N. inspectors at Baghdad Airport, leaving Iraq.