Time is fast approaching for president to expose Iraq

The skepticism that has accompanied Iraq's arms declaration is certainly justified. Saddam Hussein and his henchmen have shown themselves to be masters of deception and architects of evil. They are not to be trusted.
That said, we do believe that the onus is now on President Bush, who has been spoiling for war with Iraq, to clearly show how Saddam has failed to live up the U.N. resolution that requires him to fully disclose his country's development and production of weapons of mass destruction.
Under the terms of Security Council Resolution 1441, passed Nov. 8, false statements or omissions in the declaration, coupled with Iraq's failure to comply with weapons inspections "shall constitute a further material breach of Iraq's obligations."
Because President Bush has said that such a breach would be grounds for a declaration war by the United States and its allies, the White House has a responsibility not only to the American people but to the international community to do more than merely dismiss Iraq's arms declaration as lacking in specificity and credibility.
For months, administration officials have contended that the United States and Britain, its chief ally in the clash with Iraq, have proof that Saddam not only has biological and chemical weapons, but has the capability to produce nuclear arms.
That contention was repeated as late as Monday.
Firm belief
"We are firm in our belief, in our knowledge that Iraq had these weapons of mass destruction, has had programs to maintain them and expand them, and still has these weapons of mass destruction," said Richard Boucher, State Department spokesman.
The problem, however, is that neither Bush nor other top officials will release the evidence to support the administration's position. They argue that this nation's intelligence gathering capabilities could be jeopardized with full disclosure of the information. However, in light of the fact that the war Bush seems determined to wage against Iraq would result in death and injury to American soldiers and would place a heavy financial burden on an already weak economy, a public airing of the evidence is demanded.
Anything less and America's credibility in the United Nations would be called into question. A declaration of war based on the administration's vague justification would make Saddam a martyr in the Arab world. Although he poses a greater threat to his Arab neighbors than he does the United States, the Iraqi dictator has been building good will among Muslims, especially extremists such as Osama bin Laden, the mastermind of global terrorism.
Bin Laden heads a worldwide terror network called Al-Qaida and has warned that action against Iraq would result in an attack on America's mainland similar to the one on Sept. 11, 2001, that claimed 3,000 lives.
Thus, it is not enough for President Bush to tell the American people to trust him. In this case of war, he needs to earn that trust.