Looting Iraq: Shock and Awe?

Following the first wave of the US attack on Iraq in 2003, I recall feeling "shock and awe" over the looting that occurred...especially by those who ransacked Iraq's cultural and historic sites. I remember asking myself how the US could have allowed it -- and more importantly -- how could they not have anticipated it and prevented it? Although I never agreed with the invasion, once it happened, I had this naive expectation that the US military would conduct themselves in as "honorable" way as possible, considering the circumstances.

Well, now that we've been through the looting, the lies (what, no WMD?), the torture (Abu Graib being just the tip of the iceberg), it's not surprising to read yesterday's New York Times article, and finding that more than artifacts were taken, right out from under the world's only superpower. WTF? I have a feeling the ramifications of this are still to come.

"In the weeks after Baghdad fell in April 2003, looters systematically dismantled and removed tons of machinery from Saddam Hussein's most important weapons installations, including some with high-precision equipment capable of making parts for nuclear arms, a senior Iraqi official said this week in the government's first extensive comments on the looting."

AND EVEN WORSE:

"The threat posed by these types of facilities was cited by the Bush administration as a reason for invading Iraq, but the installations were left largely unguarded by allied forces in the chaotic months after the invasion."

Good Lord.