Are Inspections Working?

The Washington Post has a long editorial today called “Are Inspections Working?” It’s pretty clear they think the answer is “No.”

Mr. Blix has dodged repeated requests that he judge Iraq against the terms of Resolution 1441; instead, he has retailed indications of "progress" on such issues as interviews with scientists, which in turn are hailed by some as proof that the "inspections are working." Such discussions have a surreal quality, because they ignore the elephantine fact that Iraq has still not disclosed its weapons. Mr. Blix doggedly pursues "unanswered questions" about huge stores of unaccounted-for materials -- but in reality, his team has little of substance to do. It can only wait to see if Iraq will be more forthcoming, or hope for a lucky break that will lead it to hidden stockpiles. [Emphasis in original]

Between Iraq and Miguel Estrada, the Washington Post editorial page has been a welcome anecdote to the self-righteous and confused blather of the New York Times. “Elephantine” – that’s great.