If there were any remaining doubts about whether Hans Blix plans on conducting thorough, serious weapons inspections in Iraq, a recent Newsweek report cast them aside. Now we know.

The article quotes Blix as saying inspectors “need more actionable intelligence” against Iraq. Blix is frustrated, the article contends, that the U.S. hasn’t provided sufficient assistance to the inspectors.

The U.S., however, is reluctant to provide intelligence to the inspectors until suspected sites are covered by aerial surveillance. Without such monitoring, Iraq can clear sites prior to inspection, and can do so while eluding detection. The only variable is the quality of Iraqi intelligence, which will determine how much lead-time the Iraqis have to move material.

So, what’s the delay? Why are inspectors still waiting for aerial monitors? After all, the United States has offered the use of its unmanned Predator planes. Despite this, Newsweek reports that Blix is instead working to secure the use of European planes. But until Blix finds planes of the correct nationality, sites can’t be monitored from the sky. And, until aerial monitoring is in place, the U.S. will continue to withhold its intelligence.

Why would Blix reject the Predator, which can be used now, and instead insist on seeking out European planes that are—according to Newsweek—inferior to the Predator? Why is Blix hobbling his inspectors and jeopardizing his own mission?

“Blix wants Europe to provide the [planes]”, the article states, “[to] avoid the appearance of bias.” Bias against whom? Saddam Hussein, who’s been using U.N. resolutions as a substitute for toilet paper since before the Gulf War? Or biased against Europe, which demands that all U.S. actions bear the stamp of U.N. approval, even though the U.N.’s useless resolutions go ignored and unenforced for years?

Now we know: Blix believes it is more important for the inspectors to avoid the appearance of bias than it is for them to conduct their stated mission. The planes can wait, U.S. intelligence be damned, the important thing is to make sure that the planes have the right flags on them so Saddam doesn’t get upset. Of course, not showing bias is going to be rather difficult to do; inspections are inherently biased against those being inspected. But if Saddam Hussein hadn’t already given the world ample reason to be biased against him, we wouldn’t need to inspect Iraq in the first place.

Blix is obviously not concerned with conducting thorough inspections. His politically correct, see-no-evil inspections appear designed to let Europe fool itself into thinking that it is finally contending with a foreign menace. Now that Blix has been dispatched, Europe’s leaders—Tony Blair excepted—can get back to the important business of burying their heads in the sand.

Hans and his hapless crew of Clouseau clones can continue keeping up appearances, but we now know that his inspections are more show than substance. If Blix is able to continue undermining the inspection process, it’ll be yet another nail in the coffin of a U.N. that’s shown few signs of life for years. And if the U.N. allows Blix to make a mockery of inspections by putting hurt feelings ahead of real results, then nobody can question the United States if we someday decide to stop letting the U.N. clog up our foreign policy.