Tell me again, why Iraq?

If the Bush administration really was attacking Iraq to reduce the threat from WMD, why wouldn't they make securing equipment that could be used to make WMD a priority?

From AP via Yahoo:

U.N.: Weapons Equipment Missing in Iraq

U.N. satellite imagery experts have determined that material that could be used to make biological or chemical weapons and banned long-range missiles has been removed from 109 sites in Iraq, U.N. weapons inspectors said in a report obtained Thursday.

Now don't get excited. These aren't the long-awaited mythical WMDs. This is all dual-use technology, which is why the UN was monitoring it. It includes equipment suitable for making biological weapons, which means it's also suitable for making pharmaceuticals. Ditto for chemical weapons and industrial chemicals.

But here's the thing — the UN inspectors have been barred from Iraq ever since the war. Why didn't the military make securing and monitoring these sites a priority? Oh, that's right. They had to secure the oil ministry.

Some of the missing equipment has turned up as scrap in other countries. The scary thing is that we don't know where the rest of it went, including most of the missile components.

Stunning, and dangerous, incompetence.