Monday, July 12, 2004

Digging Up Dirt
If you haven't already read it, I recommend Paul Volcker's Wall Street Journal editorial from last week describing his approach to investigating the allegations concerning the UN Iraq Oil-for-Food program. Kofi Annan could not have tapped anyone with a stronger reputation for integrity and independence; now we will see if the results surprise him or his critics.

As I've suggested before, if the allegations about the subversion of the Oil-for-Food program are proved out by the facts, then its program administrators would bear as much blame for the failure to avert war in Iraq as the intelligence community in its failure to accurately assess weapons of mass destruction. The future credibility of the UN is on the line, and I can only advise them to be utterly forthright and transparent in this investigation.

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