Author:
CRAIG MCGUIGAN per jfh
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Date Posted: 13:55:56 03/24/03 Mon
Author Host/IP: d150-99-156.home.cgocable.net/24.150.99.156
Please, no bombast. We're Canadians
The rhetoric is getting a bit thick. Is this a party of bombast and bluster or a party of reasoned and thoughtful debate? This issue is far bigger than a struggle of peacniks against war mongers, left against right or Canada against the United States.
Yesterday, "Ariane" asked a question to which I feel compelled to respond: What is the difference: UN sanctioned war, or US initiated war? The simplest response, is of course that the means are the end. On the one had a strong consensus of nations act according to international law, on the other a single global power exercising its might in conflict to the wishes of the vast majority of the global community in a reckless and arrogant enterprise. Its a big difference.
Norman Schwarzkopf thought U.N. inspections were the proper course to follow. He worried about the cockiness of the U.S. war plan, and even more about the potential human and financial costs of occupying Iraq.
Highly credible military thinkers are horrified with the push to war. Marine Gen. Anthony Zinni, former Head of Central Command for U.S. said, "It's pretty interesting that all the generals see it the same way, and all the others who have never fired a shot, and are hot to go to war, see it another,... We are about to do something that will ignite a fuse in this region that we will rue the day we ever started." Gen. Wesley Clark, former NATO Supreme Commander, said, "If we go in (to Iraq) unilaterally, or without the full weight of international organizations behind us, if we go in with a very sparse number of allies, if we go in without an effective information operation ...we're liable to supercharge recruiting for al-Qaida" .
George McGovern, President candidate, UN Ambassador, Senator and WWII Pilot said, "I'm sick and tired of old men dreaming up wars for young men to die in." Col. David Hackworth, America's most highly decorated soldier said, "Should the president decide to stay the war course, hopefully at least a few of our serving top-uniformed leaders - those who are now covertly leaking that war with Iraq will be an unparalleled disaster - will do what many Vietnam-era generals wish they would have done: stand tall and publicly tell the America people the truth about another bad war that could well lead to another died-in-vain black wall. Or even worse."
James Webb, former Sec. of Navy under Ronald Reagan, decorated Marine Veteran, Navy Cross, Silver Star, and Purple Heart said, "Do we really want to occupy Iraq for the next 30 years? In Japan, American occupation forces quickly became 50,000 friends. In Iraq, they would quickly become 50,000 terrorist targets.... Nations such as China can only view the prospect of an American military consumed for the next generation by the turmoil of the Middle East as a glorious windfall."
Some of the most respected men in the American military are opposed to the war. Many are Republicans. Some even campaigned for the President. So whats going on?
A full page ad in the Wall Street Journal by major Republican GOP contributors proclaimed, "Mr. President, the candidate we supported in 2000 promised a more humble nation in our dealings with the world. We gave him our votes and our campaign contributions. That candidate was you. We feel betrayed."
In an article in The New York Times, Jimmy Carter said profound changes in U.S. foreign policy had reversed "consistent bipartisan commitments that for more than two centuries have earned our nation greatness."
What happened? Simple. The dreams and ambitions of a very small group of very chauvinistic Americans are being realized. Years before they came to power, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld and Paul Wolfowitz established a foundation to promote policy that would establish a world order shaped around the needs of the United States. At the time, they were marginalized as extreme right wing nut cases. Now, theyre well on the way to their dream of ruling the world.
Dont believe me? Read it in their own words at their web page.
http://www.newamericancentury.org/statementofprinciples.htm
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