I do buy the "copout" that they gave the authority so as not to undermine the President's hand in forcing Saddam to allow real inspections, since this is what they said at the time.
This is also what I believed was going on since it was the only thing that made any sense of the administration's course of action.
In retrospect, we was had. And I still can't find a sensible explanation.
My only hope now is that we can see our way to outsourcing our military presence in Iraq to Chinese mercenaries. Maybe Walmart can negotiate with Chinese captains of industry to get one able bodied volunteer along with every container of goods...
[on edit -- oh me of little faith -- there is more bitterness in Truth and Fact, Giovannio, than is vented of in your sarcacity. [link|http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=04/12/23/1541224|Amy Goodman interviews Geoff Thale], senior associate for Central America and Cuba at the Washington Office on Latin America, about ongoing paramilitary recruiting campaigns by the big Iraq contractors in Latin America. -- end edit]
Giovanni