Fact Filters

The Tribune provides a highly selective extract from the immense ISG report on Iraq. The headlline

Report on Iraq arms undercuts president

The article-rather slight considering the importance of the report itself, not to mention the size-barely touches upon Saddy's efforts to bribe our dear European friends; Big Trunk at Powerline has a thorough summary of the situation. Tariq Aziz, it seems, has been singing like a canary . . .

The real picture you get from the report, insofar as I've digested it, is the Saddam never gave up his ambitions for every possible weapon; that he engaged in a pretty effective campaign to get the sanctions lifted, with the happy assistance of France, especially; of increased military spending, especially in the development of long range missles; and of relentless, remorseless plundering of the oil for food program to provide funding for his campaign against the sanctions. That's pretty much what I guessed was going on.

So we have the Trib pounding away at one aspect of the problem: No WMD! No WMD! without providing a look a Saddam's effort. When I read journalism of this kind, I always get stuck in the mud. Is it direct, simple, partisanship, or sheer incompetence? Is the filtering of information intentional or inept?

BTW, visit Dr. Alice for the most succinct analysis of the Veep hoedown.