Monday, September 13, 2004
Revisiting the Runup To the Iraq War
I've wanted to write this entry for a long while.
Many have criticized the rush to war with Iraq. You know, the twelve years of failed diplomacy and sanctions with the United Nations. The extra resolutions in the months leading up to the war. The stonewalling by Saddam. Ahh yes, the "rush" to war. I remember it well.
And then the complaints that we couldn't build up a coalition. We did, but it wasn't big enough apparently. Kerry is currently calling this coalition "the coalition of the bribed and the coerced." To which, former U.N. ambassador Holbrooke was asked was Britian coerced or bribed? How 'bout Italy? Poland?
This denegration of our allies is coming from a man who is going to restore relations with the rest of the world, but I digress from this.
Now comes a new book from well-respected Bill Gertz which details how many allies (France, Germany, Russia) and foes (China) are selling arms to Al Qaeda, Iraq, and other rogue states.
And let's not forget the U.N. oil-for-food program. Saddam funnelling money to all parts of the globe. Geez. I wonder why Bush couldn't get more international support? I wouldn't hold your breathe trying to get to the bottom of that one.
So when looking at anti-war complaints about how the run up was handled, we are smacked upside the head by reality. Their complaints about lack of diplomacy are devoid of the context which shows them to be false.
I've wanted to write this entry for a long while.
Many have criticized the rush to war with Iraq. You know, the twelve years of failed diplomacy and sanctions with the United Nations. The extra resolutions in the months leading up to the war. The stonewalling by Saddam. Ahh yes, the "rush" to war. I remember it well.
And then the complaints that we couldn't build up a coalition. We did, but it wasn't big enough apparently. Kerry is currently calling this coalition "the coalition of the bribed and the coerced." To which, former U.N. ambassador Holbrooke was asked was Britian coerced or bribed? How 'bout Italy? Poland?
This denegration of our allies is coming from a man who is going to restore relations with the rest of the world, but I digress from this.
Now comes a new book from well-respected Bill Gertz which details how many allies (France, Germany, Russia) and foes (China) are selling arms to Al Qaeda, Iraq, and other rogue states.
And let's not forget the U.N. oil-for-food program. Saddam funnelling money to all parts of the globe. Geez. I wonder why Bush couldn't get more international support? I wouldn't hold your breathe trying to get to the bottom of that one.
So when looking at anti-war complaints about how the run up was handled, we are smacked upside the head by reality. Their complaints about lack of diplomacy are devoid of the context which shows them to be false.
