STING2 said:
In any event, despite feeling it has the legal right to act militararily without any more resolutions, the USA has sought a further resolution in 1441 and will now seek a second resolution towards the middle of March. The USA is bending over backwards to talk with other countries and make its case. In reality, the USA could have convinced Kuwait a year ago that invasion was necessary and deployed troops to Kuwait and taken over Iraq by last summer without involvement from any other country. That would definitely have been a near unilateral move. The USA has not gone that route and is working within the United Nations. I honestly believe, come voting time, the USA will get all the votes it needs. I predict 12 yes votes for invasion with three countries abstaining. In 3 weeks, Bush will have the United Nations supporting an invasion of Iraq.
This is finally something we agree on. The President has consistently, despite the critics, attempted to work through the UN to straighten this situation out. The UN and our allies in the Middle East have done absolutely NOTHING for twelve years to enforce UN RESOLUTIONS. It is a joke the amount of smuggling that is going on. It is a crock, that the Middel Eastern countries help him with smuggling and they benefit from the smuggling with him yet, will look to us to handle the mess when he acts up.
Attempts by the Bush administration to handle this situation from 2000-2002 have been rebuffed by the Middle Eastern nations refusal to stop smuggling illegally with Saddam. Our Good Friends Turkey, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia have repeatedly refused to help. They are in an illegal relationship with Iraq that benefits THEM. They could give a damn about us, as Turkey is showing its true colors this week.
Syria has consistently promised to stop an illegal oil pipeline from Iraq into its country. They promised Clinton, they promised Bush and they have FAILED to honor their promises. THere are reports that the many of the illegal weapons Iraq has are in SYRIA.
Oh, and IRAN, also benefits. Not the country of course, but the leaders are directly involved in the smuggling efforts of Saddam and the money goes into their pockets to the tune of about $400 million a year.
Now here we are , working for resolution after resolution while the leader in Iraq has been violating resolution after resolution. THe French and Russians, who benefit from the food for oil program and are owed money from Iraq, do not want the regime changed. They would rather let the cat and mouse game continue. It is rediculous. It is offensive.
While I do not want to act without the UN on this issue, I am close to the point where I look at these countries, our ALLY's and I am sickened. I want to say Russia screw you grow your own grain. I want to say to Saudi Arabia, sorry next time, let Saddam take your country. I want to say to France and Germany, we are withdrawing our soldiers from your country Germany, and France, enjoy our new trade relationship. If they would rather benefit from their relationship with Iraq so be it. That is my opinion, but my opinion is backed by billions of dollars in evidence. You can think it is because of human rights or the horrors of war that these nations oppose WAR but that is NOT the whole picture.
We as a country have paid a price in our soldiers blood, sweat, and their lives for many of the countries I have listed above. Maybe if we were not putting it on the line, we would not have suffered the effects of 9/11. Maybe we should have just let Saddam do what he wanted. Ultimately, 9/11 is tied into the Iraqi situation, because, if we had not done what we did 12 years ago, Osama would not have turned his organization on us.
That is the truth like it or not.
This is a two way street. You want to do business with us, fine. Russia, France and Germany appear to me to be choosing a relationship with Saddam. That is their choice. I do hope BUSH does not invade without the UN, bacause I do believe the international community has the right to voice an opinion in this situation. l also hope the President has the courage to make changes to how we do business with the world if the inspectors say that Iraq is not complying and the Security Council again does nothing, as it has done for 12 YEARS!!!!
Peace