Billmon: Litter Boxes

Via Cursor, we see that the U.N. arms inspectors, having been blocked by the Bush Pentagon from returning to the suspected weapons sites they were monitoring before the Iraq invasion, are still trying to keep an eye on things -- from space . And the big problem isn't what they see, but what they don't see:

U.N. satellite imagery experts have determined that material that could be used to make biological or chemical weapons and banned long-range missiles has been removed from 109 sites in Iraq, U.N. weapons inspectors said in a report obtained Thursday . . .

In the report to the U.N. Security Council, acting chief weapons inspector Demetrius Perricos said he’s reached no conclusions about who removed the items or where they went. He said [they] could have been moved elsewhere in Iraq, sold as scrap, melted down or purchased.

He said the missing material can be used for legitimate purposes. “However, they can also be utilized for prohibited purposes if in a good state of repair.”