UNscam Update.

Not so good I'm afraid. Paul Volker's official investigation reported that... it will take them an awful long time to report. Meanwhile the pursuit of the Chalabis continues to grab the attention- it was Ahmed Chalabi who initially spearheaded the interest in the UN Oil-for-Food deal that Saddam was so enjoying. This after a string of setbacks including the assassination of the man in charge of the Iraqi Governing Council's own investigations and accusations of corruption in the former CPA's use of oil money.

Claudia Rosett clarifes an important point, which many sceptics need to consider:

'Mr. Chalabi, for this columnist, at any rate, was never a major source. Oil-for-Food was a program so vast, so obviously packed with perverse policies and incentives, and so disturbing to a number of honest people who encountered it--including some sources quite close to the U.N.--that the array of whistle-blowers is extensive and highly varied.'

It's crucial that the reputation of one man doesn't become a means of dismissing a scandal that, as William Safire remarked some months ago, has no friends. Since that time its friendlessness has acquired new depths. (via Roger Simon).