During the Iraq War much was made by the left of the failure to locate stockpiles of chemical agents or nuclear materials. Despite the obvious duplicity of the Saddam Hussein regime and the childlike incredulity and fecklessness of Hans Blix and his merry men we were supposed to believe that the failure to find these weapons and materials meant they didn’t exist.

Now enters Wikileaks.

Noah Schachtman at Wired’s Danger Room (a credible and creditable source before it’s inexplicable decision to hire the cretinous Spencer Ackerman) has the run down.

Without recounting each incident, suffice it to say that chemical munitions were encountered with monotonous regularity during combat operations from 2003 forward and on at least two occasions foreign chemical weapons specialists were apprehended.

None of this is to refight old battles. But the reports of mysterious convoys crossing into Syria from Iraq in the days prior to the war have never been adequately investigated and all claims that Saddam would not entrust the Assad regime with his chemical weapons or nuclear materials simply vaporizes when one considers that Iran gave safe haven to Iraq’s air force during the first Gulf War when they had just finished up a decade long slugfest.

In my view the jury is out on this subject and may never return a verdict. Regardless, Saddam is dead still dead and Iraq is not a maker of chemical weapons or a customer for nuclear technology.