MAKING WAR: NEITHER SADDAM OR THE IAEA OR UNSCOM DESERVED OUR TRUST - AND NEITHER DOES AHMADINEJAD

TOM NICHOLS from a post at AUSTN BAY via INSTAPUNDIT:

The simple fact of the matter is that it would have imprudent–and just plain dumb–to take on faith Saddam Hussein’s assurances about the destruction of his WMD stocks. He had them, he used them, he claimed to destroy them, but wouldn’t allow anyone to verify that claim. To say now that it should have been obvious in 2003 that there were no WMD in Iraq, given the history of the regime and the behavior of its mad dictator, is not only unsupportable, it is irresponsible, and even borders on silly. (copyright Tom Nichols)

This is exactly right. And just as it would've been wrong and imprudent to trust Saddam, it would've been wrong and imprudent to have trusted the IAEA or UNSCOM; after all, they had not detected the nuclear programs of North Korea, AQ Khan, Saddam, or Libya.

Attacking and overthrowing Saddam when we did and for the reasons (YES: reasons in the plural; see this post on UNSCR #1441, and this one details other bogus charges made by Leftists on the Iraq War), we did was correct and prudent.

Just as we couldn't trust Saddam, we cannot trust Ahmadinejad. Therefore, we must ultimately take "direct action" on our behalf, in the name of national security and to defend the Free World. And thing less is dangerously delusional.