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The Good, the Bad ...
Wednesday March 19, 2003
First, The Good:
Gallup reported the results of a CNN/USA Today overnight snap poll following the President's Monday night speech:
"Overall, 66% of Americans approve of Bush's decision to go to war unless Saddam Hussein leaves Iraq within 48 hours, while 30% disapprove."
Furthermore, respondents answered the question: "Has the US done all it can diplomatically?"
YES: 68%; NO: 28%
It is foolish to decide to go to war or decide NOT to go to war on the basis of a public opinion poll, but it is useful to remember that only one country was attacked on September 11, 2001 and the citizens of that country favor the continued prosecution of the war on terrorism.
In the British House of Commons, Prime Minister Tony Blair's government beat back a "no confidence" motion in his Iraq policy by a vote of 412 to 149.
During the debate, the PM said, "The only persuasive power to which [Saddam Hussein] responds is 250,000 allied troops on his doorstep."
Spring Break Extra Credit Assignment: Compare and contrast the Prime Minister's statement with this from Mullings from this past Monday:
"The ONLY reason Saddam Hussein has been pretending to make even a token effort to comply with UN Security Council resolutions is because the allies have about 300,000 troops stacked against his borders."
According to the AP's Diplomatic Correspondent, Barry Schweid, Secretary of State Colin Powell said yesterday:
"We now have a coalition of the willing that includes some 30 nations who publicly said they could be included in such a listing, and there are 15 other nations, for one reason or another, who do not wish to be publicly named but will be supporting the coalition."
That adds up to about 45 nations - including most of Saddam's neighbors.
The Bad:
Nevertheless, the Senator from South Dakota and Paris, Tom Daschle said:
"I'm saddened, saddened that this president failed so miserably at diplomacy that we're now forced to war."
It will not shock you to learn that he made that despicable comment to a meeting of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. There was no mention of how the union members responded.
There is, however, a record of how House Speaker Dennis Hastert responded to Daschle's statement:
"Those comments may not undermine the president as he leads us into war, and they may not give comfort to our adversaries, but they come mighty close."
In that upside-down logic which has long been so popular with Liberal Democrats, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said, "In expressing his views, Tom Daschle is being patriotic."
Memo to The Nance: You fired Virginia Congressman Jim Moran from the regional whip team for saying American Jews were pushing the President into war. Why didn't that qualify as "being patriotic" in "expressing his views?"
The Ugly:
Hans Blix, presented yet another useless report to the United Nations in which he laid out a dozen unresolved issues for the Iraqis to prove they have disarmed. According to the AP the list included:
Anthrax, VX nerve agent, mustard gas, missiles, chemical and biological munitions and warheads, drones and Scud missiles.
When asked if he thought Saddam would use chemical or biological weapons, Blix said:
"There is a fair amount of skepticism about armed action. That skepticism would turn immediately around, if they used chemical weapons or biological weapons."
Hey, boullette de viande su�doise. How could they USE chemical or biological weapons if they don't HAVE any chemical or biological weapons.
The French Ambassador to the U.N. said yesterday:
"If Saddam Hussein were to use chemical and biological weapons, this would change the situation completely and immediately for the French government."
Hey, cerveau de truffe. WHAT HAVE WE BEEN TELLING YOU FOR SIX MONTHS!
On the Secret Decoder Ring page today: A link to the Gallup poll, the full 12-step program laid out by Blix, translations for the two French epithets, and a pretty good Mullfoto.
--END --
Copyright © 2003 Richard A. Galen
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