France and Germany are rumored to be developing a "disarmament plan" for Iraq to be presented to the UN Security Council. The plan, "designed to avoid war", would involve a "tripling of the number of weapons inspectors" and "deployment of UN soldiers throughout the country" as, in effect, human shields.

One can just picture President Chirac and Chancellor Schroeder on the tarmac at Baghdad Airport, beaming with pride, as a huge throng of UN personnel parade past in formation, whistling the "Colonel Bogey" March....