MADE IN FRANCE

That little phrase just keeps turning up--on missiles, silverware, on radios, even underwear--throughout Iraq. It's not just a sign that Iraqis have an affinity for French goods. It's evidence that France and fellow weasel nation Germany have profited by slipping past the UN sanctions regime in place since Gulf War I:

LT. GREG HOLMES, a tactical intelligence officer with the Third Infantry Division, told NEWSWEEK that U.S. forces discovered 51 Roland-2 missiles, made by a partnership of French and German arms manufacturers, in two military compounds at Baghdad International Airport. One of the missiles he examined was labeled 05-11 KND 2002, which he took to mean that the missile was manufactured last year. The charred remains of a more modern Roland-3 launcher was found just down the road from the arms cache. According to a mortar specialist with the same unit, radios used by many Iraqi military trucks brandished MADE IN FRANCE labels and looked brand new. RPG night sights stamped with the number 2002 and French labels also turned up. And a new Nissan pickup truck driven by a surrendering Iraqi officer was manufactured in France as well.

Yeah, sanctions would have worked given enough time...sure they would have.