Did Butler Do It?

WASHINGTON: Is Richard Butler a UNSCOM inspector or a U.S. spy? The Washington Post reports that U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan is convinced that Butler directed an eavesdropping operation on behalf of Washington designed to penetrate Saddam Hussein's innermost security cocoon -- definitely not kosher behavior for an impartial world peacemaker. True or not, the revelations are sure to harden Saddam further against future inspections in Baghdad, giving Annan yet another reason to nudge Butler out before his contract expires in June.

Wednesday, Butler vehemently denied the wiretapping charges, saying "don't believe everything you read." But philosophically, Butler is probably closer to the Clinton Administration's view that Saddam's security apparatus and his war-making one are part of the same problem. Butler's successor will need a world-view closer to Annan's - and Hussein's -- if UNSCOM is ever to see Baghdad again. But who's next? TIME U.N. reporter Stewart Stogel says Emilio Cardenas, Argentina's former UN representative and an old pal of Madeleine Albright who helped draw up the Iraq oil-for-food program, looks to have the inside track. One thing's for sure: Linda Tripp is definitely out.