The whole business about the WMD seems contradictory, with intelligence reports and even Iraqi behavior seeming to be in conflict with what we have found so far.

I have no evidence for the following, just a theory that fits a lot of the observed facts, and assumes we never find large stocks of WMD or research facilities to make them:

What if the Iraqi regime was being fed a load of crap on their own weapons programs?

I have seen a lot of testimony from totalitarian regimes where the Fearless Leader is fed whatever makes him happy. Think a situation room full of scientific Baghdad Bobs, telling Saddam what they think will keep their ears connected to their heads.

I can easily visualize scenarios where scientists pretend that their researches are successful, feeding fake info into their own regime. I know that military commanders have done this about conventional forces. Enough cool lab equipment and nasty looking stuff in barrels to make Iraqi bigwigs happy during inspections...but what's really in them? It's not like Saddam is going to sniff them or something.

End result being Saddam and others at the top of the heap firmly convinced they do indeed have vast stores of WMD that need to be concealed from the U.N. and others, and they behave accordingly. This explains their paranoia during inspections, and suppression of their scientists.

The false info and moving through the regime's communications system is tapped by our intelligence, and bingo, they're faked out too.

We go to war based on Potemkin weapons programs.

This theory may have holes...I just thought about it off the top of my head.

Comments?