After yesterday's performance at the United Nations, it is clear that there is no smoking gun. The USA has, in fact, shown itself to be in contravention of both the letter and the spirit of Resolution 1441 because it did not provide evidence of mobile laboratories or the alleged infection and death of 12 technicians to the monitoring team under Dr. Blix. This requirement is contained clearly and specifically in Resolution 1441: "All Member States [are requested to] give full support to UNMOVIC and the IAEA . including by providing any information related to prohibited programmes or other aspects of their mandates.". The Americans have not done so. It would be useless to apologise afterwards to the estimated 500,000 civilian casualties who will be affected almost immediately, most of them children. Moreover, the fourth Geneva Convention, which is also part of international customary law and which, therefore, cannot be derogated from, requires the proper protection of children in circumstances of war. This is about to be flouted once more in a myriad of ways.