NYT: Saddam Was a Year Away From Atomic Bomb

In a story apparently designed to attack the Bush administration less than a week away from the midterm elections, the New York Times has instead delivered a stunning November Surprise to the Democrats. Saddam Hussein's regime was perhaps only a year away from developing nuclear weapons at the time of the US invasion.

From the article [emphasis added]:

Among the dozens of documents in English were Iraqi reports written in the 1990’s and in 2002 for United Nations inspectors in charge of making sure Iraq abandoned its unconventional arms programs after the Persian Gulf war. Experts say that at the time, Mr. Hussein’s scientists were on the verge of building an atom bomb, as little as a year away.

If Hussein, who used chemical weapons against his own citizens, had remained in power he could have had a nuclear weapon three years ago. The New York Times has just destroyed three years of myth-making by the Democrats.

Update: Others blogging:

Jim Geraghty at National Review Online:

I'm sorry, did the New York Times just put on the front page that IRAQ HAD A NUCLEAR WEAPONS PROGRAM AND WAS PLOTTING TO BUILD AN ATOMIC BOMB?

Captain's Quarters:

That appears to indicate that by invading in 2003, we followed the best intelligence of the UN inspectors to head off the development of an Iraqi nuke.

Quando:

Huh. Sounds like 2003 was an excellent time to take Saddam out. But hey, nothing really to see here, move along, move along.

little green footballs:

Is the New York Times actually conceding that Saddam was just a year away from having a nuclear weapon in 2002?

Via Stop the ACLU.