[Howlin]

If he didn't have WMD, why didn't he just say so?

[yonif]

I continue to support the belief that he did have WMD which will be found either buried in various places in the desert or in a third country.

Nonetheless if one wanted to rely on the belief he had none, he may have not said he didn't have them in order to hurt US prestige and its position in the world when an invasion occurred. Whereas the US will have much more trouble getting support (even though it may seem now it has not lost most of its allies that it had when it went into Iraq) during a different war against a similar enemy because of skepticism (a similar country Saddam had favor with, such as Syria).

[snooker]

If he didn't have WMD, why didn't he just say so?

Yes, that's the pregnant question isn't it. If Saddam had just fessed up, he would be sitting pretty now. Lots of palaces, lots of oil money, kill an Iraqi whenever the mood strikes, build some neato new WMDs for terrorist to use.

So why didn't Saddam just say to the UN inspectors -- come on down, inspect away. Maybe there is something we still don't know???

[LZ_Bayonet]

If he didn't have WMD, why didn't he just say so?

This quote from the article explains why:

"Saddam, it says, even fooled his own military chiefs into believing that he had WMD. This was designed to deter uprising from rebel Iraqis, on whom he deployed mustard gas in 1988, and aggressors in the Middle East."

[piasa]

If there's no WMD [as in programs], why assassinate the scientists? Even AFTER the war?

Who did it? Unusually loyal Baathists... or Old Europe and others who might not want their supplier roles revealed?