I've said all along that Shrub needs to make his case for going to war against Iraq. Now that he has, it appears that is case is pretty straightforward: my Daddy didn't finish the job, so now I have to. Well, that's the short and heavily paraphrased version, of course, but that really is what this appears to be about.
From where I sit, war with Iraq seems to have passed from being a very likely possibility to virtual certainty. The degree of threat posed by Iraq remains open to discussion, but that discussion at this point is mere tinkering around the edges. It seems evident that we are going to war- the only unanswered questions are where, when, and how. (And, of course, how many young American lives will be lost.)
Are we ready for some war? In the aftermath of 9.11, Shrub knows that the American public will suffer virtually any privation, accept any action, and countenance any aggressive act- as long as it is swaddled in the rhetoric of the "war against terror". Shrub and his minions can sell war against Iraq, and the American public will buy it. I just wonder if the loss of American lives will, in the long run, accomplish what the Shrub Administration is convinced a war against Iraq will?
What disturbs me about this scenario is that the current situation can largely be laid at the feet of the United Nations. IF they had possessed the wherewithal, and the cojones to back up their own resolutions in the aftermath of the Gulf War, would we be where we are now? Somehow I think not. The UN's equivocation and inattention has allowed Iraq the leeway to do what it has wished, because there have been no consequences attached to it. Now that the horse has long-since left the barn, who is there to bring it back? Certainly not the UN, which in this case is completely bereft of anything resembling credibility.
So now that the UN hasn't taken care of business, it's left to the US to clean up the mess. While the rest of the West's leaders have been working on their Neville Chamberlain act, the drums of war are being beaten in Washington. This is not a good thing, but it is, under the circumstances, inevitable. It's also not the first time the US has stood alone in trying to solve a problem that should rightly be resolved by someone else- in this case the UN.
No, I still can't condone a war against Iraq, though I can feel myself slowly and inexorably being pulled in that direction. There comes a time when you have to stand up for what is right (Yeah, I know..."If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything.") even if you have to do it yourself. Perhaps that is where we are now. I will never support Shrub or his motives, but I do support my country and the people who are fighting for it. They deserve better, but this is what they've got. Let's just hope they will be put in the position where they can finish the job they are given, unlike Bush the Elder.
