How about "No more Pearl Harbors." Does that clarify things?
OToole | 02.12.03 - 2:26 pm | #

Very well said Paul.
Josh Claybourn | Homepage | 02.13.03 - 11:42 am | #

Paul, this is all well and good, but what about 17 UNSC resolutions being ignored for 12 years? What does one do, short of military force, to resolve this? Stand idly by while the U.N. frets and whines, and Iraq builds nukes?

In addition, this will not be a "pre-emptive" war -- the Gulf War never really ended, in the real world or via peace treaty. Iraq has violated the cease fire by producing the weapons they addmitted to, and that we know they still have. There is no other viable option, but force. Now we get to clean up a situation we should have cleaned up in 1991, if not for Colin Powell and the U.N. Chasing an invading power out without putting a hurt on them doesn't accomplish anything, as we have seen for the last 12 years.
Jeff Brokaw | Homepage | 02.21.03 - 5:22 pm | #

Jeff:

Violations of UN resolutions, whatever the number, are not enough to justify war. And the "Gulf War One never ended argument" strikes me as a pretext. If we destroy Saddam, it must be because he threatens us imminently.
Paul Cella | Homepage | 03.01.03 - 4:28 am | #

Paul -

Well, I don't agree that 17 resolutions and the broken cease-fire isn't enough to resume hostilities. But those aren't even the main reasons to take this straight into Baghdad.

The main reason, for me, is that Iraq is a terror-exporting state, and there is enough circumstantial evidence to point the spotlight right on them for 9/11, the anthrax, and who knows what in the future if we don't do our best to stop it by making an example of Iraq for Syria, Iran, and all the other terror-masters in that region. Jeffrey Goldberg, who wrote two devastating and well-publicized articles on Iraq in the New Yorker last year, agrees with this view.

I'm not going to launch into a major missive here, perhaps you aren't that interested anyway, but I'll post something on my site tomorrow or Wednesday, including links to some of this stuff, and email you.
Jeff Brokaw | Homepage | 03.04.03 - 12:16 am | #

Jeff:

The strongest case is indeed that Iraq supports and assists al-Qaeda; but that case is still inconclusive.

To hell with the UN and its resolutions.
Paul Cella | Homepage | 03.05.03 - 6:56 am | #