] In June 2002, U.S. officials say intelligence had
] revealed that Zarqawi and members of al-Qaida had set up
] a weapons lab at Kirma, in northern Iraq, producing
] deadly ricin and cyanide.
]
] The Pentagon quickly drafted plans to attack the camp
] with cruise missiles and airstrikes and sent it to the
] White House, where, according to U.S. government sources,
] the plan was debated to death in the National Security
] Council.
]
] "Here we had targets, we had opportunities, we had a
] country willing to support casualties, or risk casualties
] after 9/11 and we still didn't do it," said Michael
] O'Hanlon, military analyst with the Brookings
] Institution.
]
] Four months later, intelligence showed Zarqawi was
] planning to use ricin in terrorist attacks in Europe.
]
] The Pentagon drew up a second strike plan, and the White
] House again killed it. By then the administration had
] set its course for war with Iraq.
]
] "People were more obsessed with developing the coalition
] to overthrow Saddam than to execute the president's
] policy of preemption against terrorists," according to
] terrorism expert and former National Security Council
] member Roger Cressey.

[ Shenanigans. -k]

] In June 2002, U.S. officials say intelligence had
] revealed that Zarqawi and members of al-Qaida had set up
] a weapons lab at Kirma, in northern Iraq, producing
] deadly ricin and cyanide.
]
] The Pentagon quickly drafted plans to attack the camp
] with cruise missiles and airstrikes and sent it to the
] White House, where, according to U.S. government sources,
] the plan was debated to death in the National Security
] Council.
]
] "Here we had targets, we had opportunities, we had a
] country willing to support casualties, or risk casualties
] after 9/11 and we still didn't do it," said Michael
] O'Hanlon, military analyst with the Brookings
] Institution.
]
] Four months later, intelligence showed Zarqawi was
] planning to use ricin in terrorist attacks in Europe.
]
] The Pentagon drew up a second strike plan, and the White
] House again killed it. By then the administration had
] set its course for war with Iraq.
]
] "People were more obsessed with developing the coalition
] to overthrow Saddam than to execute the president's
] policy of preemption against terrorists," according to
] terrorism expert and former National Security Council
] member Roger Cressey.

I'm not a fan of the kos, but I'm going to rerecommend this version anyway because in this case the spin isn't coming for the kos, but from the original story at MSNBC... Now its possible that Bush simply calculated that Saddam was a bigger threat then this guy, but in highsight, obviously they should have taken this opportunity. I find the fact that they didn't a little hard to compute.