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Subject: Re: Why the sudden push to get Saddam?


Author:
Raisinmom
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Date Posted: 15:44:19 09/14/02 Sat
In reply to: Astrid 's message, "Re: Why the sudden push to get Saddam?" on 08:05:47 09/14/02 Sat
 Why invade Iraq? The simple answer that will be given by Bush: because Saddam is evil.

Why now? Well, that's not as simple. First, it's not at all clear to me that there is *not* a link between Saddam and 9/11; William Safire in particular has been writing detailed columns on the link (like the meeting in Eastern Europe between Mohammed Atta and an Iraqui operative) and why it's being denied by US intelligence, at least officially. Second, the way Saddam will try to take out America or Israel is not by attacking them directly, but rather by selling or providing weapons (both conventional and weapons of mass destruction) to terrorist cells beholden to no one -- such as Al Qaeda. This partially answers the "why now" question, perhaps; maybe the US has information that Al Qaeda wants to strike again and now knows that it's possible. (I think it entirely possible that US intelligence horribly underestimated Al Qaeda and now knows its error.) Or perhaps the US has only recently come to the belief that Iraq does indeed have the capability to manufacture such weapons, and thus needs to move quickly to deal with them before they are passed to terrorists. Or perhaps the Al Qaeda gang is so high on their "success" on 9/11 that they are willing to take chances and Iraq will help them.

A third answer to the "why now" question is that it is politically feasible to do it now (it may not be in a year, when people start to forget the feeling of vulnerability created by 9/11). Bush doesn't care, and never will, whether the international community is behind this; all that matters to him is the US electorate. So moving now may be politically motivated.

I have to add that I disagree that the fact that the international community is against invasion means that invasion must be wrong. I haven't entirely decided my view on taking on Iraq, but frankly have little faith right now in the political musings of Europe (for all the usual reasons, including anti-Americanism and the lessons of WWII). Moreover, while I have not yet read the Guardian link, the quote does not move me. Saddam's abuses are and have been egregious and intolerable. They may not need to be *more* egregious to justify putting an end to them -- perhaps we all should have acted a lot sooner and saved a lot of Kurdish lives.
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Replies:
Subject Author Date
Re: Why the sudden push to get Saddam?Astrid19:24:59 09/14/02 Sat
Re: Why the sudden push to get Saddam?Astrid13:16:13 09/15/02 Sun

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