Not only were there smoking guns, but there were shell casings strewn all
over the place when US Secretary of State Colin Powell laid out the Bush
administration's case for going after Saddam Hussein. But of course
for some folks, all the evidence in the world still wouldn't be good enough to
convince them that Hussein must be dealt with now.
In a multi-media presentation, Powell delved into the detail that the
non-believers have been crying out for. He presented aerial photos of
Hussein's chemical weapons, and tapes of conversations between Iraqi officials
that prove Hussein is deliberately hiding weapons of mass destruction from the
UN inspectors. He also showed slides and aerial photos proving that
Iraqi officials had moved equipment at chemical weapons plants in order to avoid
detection by UN inspectors. The photos are so detailed that the
convoy of UN vehicles is clearly visible. While walking a tightrope
between disclosing the evidence required to convince the UN and the world that
Iraq poses an imminent threat, and being careful not to give away too much
information about America's intelligence and surveillance capabilities, Powell
still made a phenomenal case. However, even if Powell would have
presented a photo of Hussein mixing up fresh batch of nerve gas alongside his
morning oatmeal, some detractors still wouldn't have been satisfied.
Prior to Powell's presentation, there were calls from Democrats (and other
critics of the Bush administration's stance with respect to Iraq) for Bush to
forget about Hussein and instead focus on the war on terrorism. For
those who have had such a difficult time connecting the dots between Baghdad and
terrorists such as al-Qaeda commander Abu Mussab al-Zarqawi, Powell drew some
simple, connections for them. No Florida butterfly-ballot type lines
here. But even the most dummy-proof explanation still won't weed out
all the morons. The bottom line is that there's just no pleasing, or
convincing, some people. They hold the views they do for political
reasons, and there's nothing that could ever be done to appease them.
French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin reacted to Powell's speech by
calling for a doubling or tripling of the number of weapons inspectors. As
though that would accomplish anything other than to give Hussein a few more
playmates in his game of hide-and-go-seek. If any more inspectors are
added to the mix, Hussein might want to apply to the Guinness Book of World
Records for having hosted the biggest (and longest) such game in history.
Likewise, Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov said that Powell's presentation
"indicates that the activities of the international inspectors in Iraq must
be continued." Again, the question remains: What more
proof do these people want? And what could ever be accomplished by
letting the inspectors roam aimlessly around Iraq? They've already
claimed that their efforts have been obstructed and that they have been unable
to carry out their duties effectively.
What people seem to be forgetting is that, as per UN Security Council resolution
1441, the onus is on Baghdad to prove that it has disarmed, and not on the UN
inspectors to find something. Dr. Dany Shoham, an expert on weapons
of mass destruction with the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies in Tel
Aviv, explains that Saddam Hussein will "obey any request posed by
inspectors" while, at the same time, "not sacrifice his
stockpiles."
Resolution 1441 requires Iraq to do either one of two things: Show
irrefutable proof (in the form of documentation) that its biological, chemical
and nuclear weapons--and any possible components thereof--have been destroyed;
or to go out into a giant field (or something of the like) and present for
destruction all the weapons that it still possesses. If Hussein was
serious about disarming, that's what he would do--and that's what the UN has
requested of him. He has failed to comply. And every day
that these weapons remain unaccounted for is another day that Iraq is growing
stronger and more knowledgeable with respect to its deadly stash.
Iraq has proven time and again that it has no intention to comply. Hussein
mouthpiece Lt. Gen Amir al-Saadi called Powell's presentation "a typical
American show complete with special effects." The real special
effect show here involves Iraq being able to make its cache of weapons and
poisonous agents somehow disappear into thin-air and be unaccounted for. America
has nothing on the Iraqis when it comes to David Copperfield-like disappearing
acts.
The time has come for America to act--with or without the support of the United
Nations. Any true allies will fall in line when push comes to shove. The
worst thing we can do is to wait until the time to act has passed. And
how will we know when that time arrives? When we turn on the radio
one morning and find that a 9/11-type nightmare that we hadn't even been able to
conceive of has become our horrific reality. History tends to judge
harshly those who saw all the warning signs and had the chance to act, but
failed to do so.
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