Jewish World Review Feb. 4, 2004 / 12 Shevat, 5764

Edward I. Koch

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History will judge Bush favorably


http://www.jewishworldreview.com | History will show that George W. Bush was correct in going to war against the fascist regime of Saddam Hussein. The fact that the President relied on what now appears to be faulty intelligence reports indicating that Iraq possessed biological, chemical and nuclear weapons of mass destruction does not alter this conclusion.

The President acted because he decided America could not afford to take the chance that Iraq not only had weapons of mass destruction, but might give them to terrorists. Just imagine what the American public would have done if the C.I.A. had been right and President Bush had ignored their warnings. Imagine the consequences if Iraq had used a weapon of mass destruction against the U.S. or one of its allies. It has been observed that such a weapon capable of killing hundreds of thousands of people could be buried in a single suitcase or shipping container.

American intelligence was coordinated by C.I.A. director George Tenet, who was originally appointed by President Bill Clinton. David Kay, former chief weapons inspector in Iraq, appeared before a U.S. Senate panel last week and testified, "If I had been there, presented what I have seen as the record of the intelligence estimates, I probably would have come to — not probably — I would have come to the same conclusion that the political leaders did." David Kay summed it up correctly when he said, according to The New York Times, "I think from the record, it's the intelligence community that abused the President." Nevertheless, there are those who, for partisan political advantage, now seek to unfairly blame the President for the poor information he received from the intelligence community.

Senator Edward M. Kennedy, to his discredit, has said, "Many of us feel that the evidence so far leads only to one conclusion, that what has happened was more than a failure of intelligence; it was the result of manipulation of the intelligence to justify a decision to go to war." But Senator Kennedy doesn't specify how the intelligence was supposedly manipulated.

The same kind of false accusation was made by the BBC against Prime Minister Blair. A senior Justice, Lord Hutton, was appointed to hold hearings on the various charges leveled against the Prime Minister by the BBC and others. Lord Hutton's report, which was made public last week, found in favor of Tony Blair and his government and against those who had falsely charged them with doctoring or "sex[ing] up" the information provided by MI6, the British intelligence agency.

Tony Blair has also defended himself with exceptional skill and eloquence during what is known in Great Britain as Question Time. The Speaker of the House of Commons alternately recognizes opponents and supporters of the prime minister, giving them a chance to pose their questions directly to the prime minister, who responds immediately.

When I was a member of the New York City Council in 1967-68, I proposed to the Lindsay administration that it consider supporting legislation to create a Question Time for the mayor before the City Council. The Lindsay administration opposed the proposal as did the Council leadership, and I did not pursue it. I believe the British parliamentary practice should be used in both the Congress and the City Council. I have no doubt that watching Question Time on live television would ultimately create a far larger audience for both the Council and the Congress than that which exists for "Sex In The City," which is ending its run and needs a successor.


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Many opponents of President Bush undoubtedly believe he isn't up to handling this kind of direct questioning. I think they are wrong and would be in for a surprise if he is challenged to respond. But irrespective of his verbal skills, democracy would be well served if Question Time became part of American political life.

Whether or not it does, there is no question that an independent blue-ribbon commission must be appointed to examine all of the security agencies — C.I.A., F.B.I. and any other agency providing information on major national security matters. Everything relating to Iraq should be investigated by a panel that has the power of subpoena, and which has the mission of reporting publicly on why the information provided to the President and Congress was so inaccurate.

I believe the President was wrong to resist the appointment of such a blue-ribbon committee. He has apparently reconsidered his position and is now willing to make the appointment by executive order. The Congress must decide whether an executive order is the way to go or whether a joint Congressional Resolution approved by the President providing for the appointments is preferable and will ensure non-partisanship. I favor the latter.

Many people, myself included, still believe that Iraq's weapons of mass destruction will ultimately be found in Iraq or elsewhere, having been shipped to other countries such as Iran or Syria. In the first Gulf War in 1991, Iraq, knowing it had lost the war, flew its entire fixed wing air force to Iran where it still remains today rusting on Iranian airfields.

We spend about $30 billion annually on the federal security agencies that protect the U.S. from all enemies, foreign and domestic. We simply have not gotten our money's worth. Even if Iraq's weapons of mass destruction are found tomorrow, the investigation into our intelligence failures should proceed. George Tenet should have been asked to resign after 9-11, because the greatest terrorist attack in America's history occurred on his watch. The case for his removal is now stronger than ever.

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JWR contributor Edward I. Koch, the former mayor of New York, can be heard on Bloomberg Radio (WBBR 1130 AM) every Saturday from 9-10 am. Comment by clicking here.

01/28/04: Why the President was justified — David Kay or not
01/15/04: It is not compassionate or intelligent to open our borders to all
12/24/03: Why I'm voting for Bush
11/26/03: Appeasement only whets the appetite of aggressors
11/06/03: Putin's prosecution of the oligarchs can teach a powerful lesson about anti-Semitism
07/30/03: As the world churns
07/23/03: America not so different than Russia in pursuing white collar criminals
07/16/03: Dems, media are making an unforgivable mistake
06/18/03: Keep American troops out of Israel
05/22/03: It's lots of fun to remain relevant
05/14/03: Living up to their mascot's image? Dems attacks on prez are backfiring
05/07/03: Wall Street settlement was not justice
04/16/03: The doves were proven wrong. Instead of conceding defeat, they are throwing another political tantrum
04/09/03: As the world churns
04/03/03: Gulf War II: The misleading media does it again
03/18/03: Have the courage to admit it, Pat: You're a classic anti-Semite who gives conservatives a bad name
03/12/03: "There they go again"? Not quite!
03/05/03: Making the case for war on British TV left some panelists stunned
02/20/03: Death penalty=racism? Don't confuse them with the facts
02/12/03: History is now repeating itself --- why don't the American bashers grasp it?
02/05/03: As the world turns
01/30/03: Why are sports exempt from racial diversity and universities encouraged to engage in racial preferences over individual academic achievement?
01/23/03: We absolutely can't back down
11/13/02: President blunted the Ted Kennedys of Democrat party --- good for him!
10/23/02: New Jersey's bigot laureate is no private citizen and his 'defenses' are idiotic
10/01/02: Congress is not doing its job
09/26/02: Confronting pathetic Americans in a post 9-11 world
09/19/02: Don't be fooled by Saddam
09/05/02: Necessary or not, getting congressional approval for war is common-sense
08/28/02: In defense of terrorism
08/22/02: Saddam Hussein is extremely popular in "Arab street," so why attack him?
08/15/02: My potpourri
08/09/02: Traitors: Journalistic and 'patriotic'
07/31/02: Euros should spend their time analyzing their own country's wartime actions
07/25/02: I may know next to nothing about the stock market, but I'm not getting out
07/18/02: Dems should stop trying to 'Whitewater' the President
07/11/02: Real Americans and the Islamic threat

© 2002, Edward I. Koch