>To go ahead regardless of U.N. position doesn't really do much for the U.S. except to establish it firmly as the world's bully. And it certainly puts a permanent end to any credibility that the U.N. can hold in the future.
>The U.N. was not created to enable (or legitimize) war. The U.N. was created in hopes of permanently ending war, by replacing guns and bombs with talk and agreement. It can't really be called "agreement" when one party says 'I'm gonna do it regardless of what you say at the U.N.'.

Agreements are worthless if not enforced. The UN is not enforcing these agreements [resolutions]. Keep in mind, the resolutions required Iraq to provide proof of the destruction of WMD. Sterile buildings are not proof. The burden is not on the inspectors to try to find them.