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    That evening, he gave the first detailed public account of the reasons behind the surprise announcement he had made on December 19, 2003, that Libya was abandoning its previously secret nuclear weapons program. “Yes, there was such a program,” he said, to the astonishment of many people in the room. Libya chose to declare it to the United States and Britain and seek their help in dismantling it “because it is in our own interest and for our own security.” At another point, he said, “We got rid of it. It was a waste of time, it cost too much money.”
    After the speech, Representative Weldon was ecstatic. He had promised his congressional colleagues a show and, by golly, they got their money’s worth. “We were part of history tonight,” he told reporters who were there. “Colonel Qaddafi’s statements were unequivocal. There were no ifs, ands, or buts. It reminds me of the sea change that occurred when the Berlin Wall came down, or when Yeltsin stood on top of a tank in front of the Russian White House. As startling as it is to us, we’d better take advantage of it.”
    After the speech, Weldon and his colleagues were shown into a private reception hall to greet the Libyan leader. Qaddafi was wearing one of his typical outlandish uniforms: black silk shirt, white suit with wide lapels, festooned with U.S.-style battle decorations across the chest. He whispered something to his chief of staff, Nouri al-Mismari, who then pointed to the pin Weldon was wearing with the American and green Libyan flag intertwined. Curt took it off and was about to hand it to him when Mismari whispered in his ear. “Pin it on him,” he said. As he did so, everyone started taking pictures.
    Qaddafi was beaming like a six-year-old with his first bicycle.
    THE SENATOR
    The next morning Weldon and his delegation were joined by Senator Joe Biden, who flew into Sirte on his own Gulfstream 5. Curt met him on the tarmac, then briefed him on the extraordinary events of the previous twenty-four hours in the airport VIP lounge. Biden was accompanied by a reporter, Daniel Klaidman. Qaddafi’s men called him, “Mr. Newsweek .”
    Shortly after 1:30 PM, we were all brought to Qaddafi’s tent complex. This time, Qaddafi was wearing his Bedouin outfit: a thick dark brown cape made of stiff wool, and a black sheepskin cap. He grunted as he greeted Biden and the rest of us in the tiny room. He seemed much taller than he had been last night. Elevator shoes? It was also clear that he understood English, as he responded to Biden’s small talk before his translator had finished the Arabic. I dubbed him “The Stiff” that afternoon because of his demeanor.
    Biden came in his preachy mode, prepared to talk about the requirements of American-style democracy, not just Qaddafi’s apparent new opening to the West. At one point, he asked Qaddafi if the People’s Congress had the power to overthrow him. The translator gulped, but Biden insisted that he render it word for word. Qaddafi didn’t flinch. “Of course not, because I am the Founder of the Revolution.”
    “Gee, I’d like to have your job security,” Biden said. For the first time, Qaddafi laughed.
    After Qaddafi emerged from his one-on-one with Biden, a Washington Post reporter asked him if he was planning to allow Islamic organizations to operate in Libya. The answer was not just no, but hell, no.
    “We don’t want to involve Allah, or God, in material affairs like infrastructure and sewage. He has nothing to do with that,” Qaddafi said. “We need technology for infrastructure. We are talking about sewage, water, electricity, housing. Allah is another thing. How can we involve Allah in such things of daily life?”
    I asked him about Lockerbie. “Last night you said you were going to tell the Libyan people the whole truth. Were there others involved—other countries involved—besides the two people taken to the Scottish court?”
    “Lockerbie is buried and we don’t