MORE ON MAUREEN :

I'm With Dick! Let's Make War! (MAUREEN DOWD, August 28, 2002, NY Times)

I was dubious at first. But now I think Dick Cheney has it right.

Making the case for going to war in the Middle East to veterans on Monday, the vice president said that "our goal would be . . . a government that is democratic and pluralistic, a nation where the human rights of every ethnic and religious group are recognized and protected."

O.K., I'm on board. Let's declare war on Saudi Arabia! Let's do "regime change" in a kingdom that gives medieval a bad name.

By overthrowing the Saudi monarchy, the Cheney-Rummy-Condi-Wolfy-Perle-W. contingent could realize its dream of redrawing the Middle East map.

Once everyone realizes that we're no longer being hypocrites, coddling a corrupt, repressive dictatorship that sponsors terrorism even as we plot to crush a corrupt, repressive dictatorship that sponsors terrorism, it will transform our relationship with the Arab world.

Well, the good news is she made it through a column without mentioning W's physique. The bad news is she's had some kind of weird moodswing--joining several others at the suddenly hawkish Times--and now recognizes that war may be justified merely by the repressive nature of the regime in question. She's also put the cart before the ass by suggesting we should take out Arabia before Iraq. All in good time Ms Dowd, all in good time... Posted by Orrin Judd at August 28, 2002 1:24 AM