Was that a pig I just saw flying out my window?

It must have really hurt the NY Times editors to write this:

Mr. Bush and Mr. Blair are entitled to claim a large share of the credit for Libya's surprising announcement. To an extent that cannot be precisely measured, the fate of Saddam Hussein, who was ousted from power by the American military with British backing after endless prevaricating about Iraqi weapons programs, must have been an important consideration in Libya's decision.

And this:

Over the past five years, by turning over two suspects for trial, acknowledging its complicity in the Lockerbie bombing and paying compensation to victims' families, Libya finally managed to persuade the United Nations Security Council to lift the international sanctions that had shadowed its economy and its international reputation for more than a decade. Those sanctions were lifted in September. This page recommended lifting American sanctions as well, but President Bush left them in place pending further steps, most notably Libya's decision to end its unconventional weapons programs. It is now clear that he was right to do so. The added American pressure worked just as intended.

But of course, it wouldn't be the NY Times without throwing a bone to the religion of Internationalism:

In that sense, yesterday's announcement also demonstrates the value of diplomacy and United Nations sanctions as a tool against weapons proliferation. Combatting current proliferation dangers in North Korea and Iran, and future threats elsewhere, will require a deft combination of approaches. Ideally, as in the case of Libya, solutions will be reached well short of war.

But all in all, one has to credit the Times for actually recognizing a connection between cause and effect.

(Via Power Line)