"My question is: just what in the hell do they need in order for it to be evidence? "
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Exactly.
We knew Saddam had tons of natural and low enriched Uranium, the UN allowed him to keep it, in violation of the 1991 cease fire agreement. Back in 1999 experts warned that Saddam could build two nuclear weapons, could enrich the Uranium in a year with just a couple hundred centrifuges. Iraq refused to let the inspectors in since 1999. Then last year Iraq ordered those centrifuges, this was presented by Powell to the UN. Put two and two together, and Saddam could have been within a year of having two nuclear bombs. Now when we went in we found he still had the enriched Uranium, he didn't mysteriously get rid of it. So we DID find WMD, and found that he could have had nuclear bombs in a year. What more do the Democrats and media wannt?! I really think the Bush administration should hammer this point home.
"Dr. Edwin Lyman, NCI Scientific Director, calculated that Iraq’s low-enriched uranium stocks would be sufficient to produce over 45 kilograms of bomb-grade HEU, enough for two nuclear weapons. Only about 260 small centrifuges would be required to enrich this material to bomb-grade in one year. Iraq’s known stocks of natural uranium could be converted into an additional 70 kilograms of bomb-grade HEU over a somewhat greater length of time. Some 25 kilograms of HEU is officially considered the amount needed for a bomb, although nuclear weapons can be built with less."
http://www.nci.org/pr/pr121799.htm It was widely reported that American troops found weapons-grade plutonium, too. I'm not sure if that was ever proven or not. It was reported, then it just disappeared within a few days.