I am not for war, but I am for making certain the world will be a safer place 5, 10, 20 years or more down the road. Is Bush the best man for the job at hand? Likely not. There is no best man for a job like this. Some of it may be his desire to 'finish his daddy's work,' and some is an actual desire to put an end to global terrorism.
We do not know all the facts involved. Perhaps in 20 years or so we shall. What is known is that there are ties between Iraq and Al-Qaeda even before the recent message supposedly released by bin-Laden. The CIA has stridently denied it, but Iraq has been offering haven for operatives in return for assassinating some Kurdish leaders. And Saddam Hussein's ability to skirt around the UN resolutions has been a matter of record since the first Gulf War.
If the UN-backed inspections can lead to a disarmament, that is all for the better. However, it's been the increasing threat of force that has lead to each grudging concession Saddam has made. While France and Russia have financial reasons for not backing any attack on Iraq that date back to times much more recent than thirty years ago, that does not excuse France or Germany from backing out of treaty agreements that have been in effect since the founding of NATO. Not backing a possible war is one thing; refusing aid to a treaty partner in case of retaliation is something else altogether.
There are many cans of worms out there, and things are likely to get worse before they get better.
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2003-02-16 04:05 am (UTC)We do not know all the facts involved. Perhaps in 20 years or so we shall. What is known is that there are ties between Iraq and Al-Qaeda even before the recent message supposedly released by bin-Laden. The CIA has stridently denied it, but Iraq has been offering haven for operatives in return for assassinating some Kurdish leaders. And Saddam Hussein's ability to skirt around the UN resolutions has been a matter of record since the first Gulf War.
If the UN-backed inspections can lead to a disarmament, that is all for the better. However, it's been the increasing threat of force that has lead to each grudging concession Saddam has made. While France and Russia have financial reasons for not backing any attack on Iraq that date back to times much more recent than thirty years ago, that does not excuse France or Germany from backing out of treaty agreements that have been in effect since the founding of NATO. Not backing a possible war is one thing; refusing aid to a treaty partner in case of retaliation is something else altogether.
There are many cans of worms out there, and things are likely to get worse before they get better.