DENYING THE OBVIOUS :

The Dangers of an Unexplained War (Richard Cohen, July 25, 2002, Washington Post)

Now we are in the planning stages for another war -- the one to topple Saddam Hussein. I happen to support that goal, for reasons that seem obvious. Hussein may be developing nuclear as well as chemical and biological weapons. He has already used chemical weapons against both Iran and Iraq's Kurdish population. It would be folly to sit around and wait to see what he will do with nuclear weapons.

But my position, arrived at in the immediate aftermath of Sept. 11, is a lot less firm that it once was. Partially that's because the threat of terrorism has receded some. But mostly it's because the Bush administration has yet to make a clear case for war with Iraq. In fact, the more it talks about Hussein and Iraq, the more confused I get.

I agree with Perle and, by extension, Bush in their goals. A world without Saddam Hussein is going to be a better place. And I agree also that toppling Hussein might be easier than some expect. He rules by terror, not with popular support. Maybe his army won't fight. Maybe his chums will turn on him.

But just as Vietnam got harder and harder, so might the war against Hussein prove harder and more brutal than we expect. The United States can take casualties, but only if it understands why. War plans are being drawn up in the Pentagon. But explanations are lacking at the White House.

So let's see if we have this straight, the reasons for toppling Saddam are "obvious" but the "United States" doesn't understand "why" we should do it and the White House hasn't offered "explanations"?
Posted by Orrin Judd at July 26, 2002 9:27 AM