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Jewish World Review March 11, 2003 / 7 Adar II, 5763

Laura Ingraham

Laura Ingraham
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The real predator drones


http://www.NewsAndOpinion.com | Howard Dean, the current media darling of Democratic presidential field, told Tim Russert that US military action against Iraq is not justified because it is not "an imminent threat," and inspectors are "making enormous progress right now." Moral arbiter Ted Kennedy calls our multi-year dance with Saddam a "rush to war." "The only way to do this and do it right is through the auspices of the UN," insists Tom Daschle.

The American people must be reminded that if we had followed the rationales above (if you can classify them as such), Slobodan Milosevic would still be ethnic cleansing his way through Kosovo. We proceeded militarily in Serbia without UN approval yet where was Kennedy's huffing and puffing then? Where was Daschle's deploring our "end-run" around international authority? And of course there was no similar outrage expressed when Bill Clinton ordered four-days of air strikes against Iraq in December 1998 without the UN's permission.

Unfortunately for the Dems, before the ink on their latest talking points is dry, new facts are always getting in the way of their anti-Bush, pro-UN spin.

Most Dems pride themselves on being enviro-champions, so what do they think of the latest revelation that Saddam has rigged his oil fields with explosive devices? (Undoubtedly, that's our fault, too.) And Dems seem to have faith that a beefed up Blix Brigade can give us peace of mind about WMDs in Iraq, but how will "triple the number of inspectors" (Dean's bright idea) convince Saddam to give up the chemical weapons that he intends to spray on our soldiers? A former Republican Guard member, who just defected last week, has told authorities that it is "100 percent guaranteed" that Hussein will use those deadly WMDs against our military.

Oh, and Hans Blix is now scurrying to explain why in his recent UN testimony he failed to mention Iraq's possession of predator "drone" aircraft (a handy way to disperse chemical weapons on our troops).

Will the latest revelations about what Saddam is planning for our troops change any Democrat minds? Don't hold your breath since other facts haven't dulled their Bush bashing.

As global elitists, Dems insist that we act only within the parameters of the UN, despite the fact Saddam has continued to keep inspectors twisting in the wind. Hussein carries out a selective p.r. conscious disarmament and like trained seals Dominique De Villepin and his friends in the U.S. Congress bark approvingly. Yet even Blix conceded in his 173-page report that Iraq has failed to account for, among other things, 50 Scud B warheads and 6,500 bombs laced with chemical weapons, VX nerve agents and anthrax.

But the "process is working."

The process is working fine-if you're France or Russia. Both countries place obstructing the US higher on their "to do lists" than obstructing Saddam Hussein.

No one other than Saddam himself is contending that Iraq's compliance has lived up to the letter of UN Resolution 1441 ("immediate and complete"), but again, the facts don't matter. Perversely, it seems like the more we learn about Iraq's failure to come clean, the more willing the UN is to cut it more slack.

Russia is the latest to affirm its unwillingness to hold Hussein accountable. We should all be having a bad case of déjà vu. From 1997 on, the Iraqis would not have been able to thwart the old UNSCOM disarmament regime but for the Security Council's spine deficit. Any time Iraq tried to restrict UNSCOM's authority, object to its leadership, or change its staff, it got a boost from Moscow in the UN. Hussein later rewarded Moscow handsomely for its help. Between 1997 and 2000 Russian-Iraqi trade quintupled, as Hussein gave Russia preference over other potential trading partners in the "oil for food" arrangement.

As we are about to embark on war in Iraq, the Administration should be making a list, and checking it twice. This time we must not allow anyone to forget where the naysayers at home and abroad stood when we needed, and asked for their support. One thing is certain-they will try to elbow their way into any victory parade after the coalition of the willing has done the heavy lifting, claiming they supported a free Iraq all along.

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JWR contributor Laura Ingraham is the host of a radio show syndicated nationally by Westwood One Radio Network and the author of "The Hillary Trap: Looking for Power in All the Wrong Places". Comment by clicking here.

03/04/03: The French PR machine crashes
02/25/03: Keep us safe --- let's be more like Europe!
02/11/03: Hollywood loves dictators
02/05/03: First Amendment frauds in Cincinnati
01/28/03: The elites versus the voters
01/22/03: Playing (and losing) Homeland Security politics
01/14/03: What have you done for the free world lately?
12/17/02: Who is the better leader: Gore or Lott?
12/10/02: Who, more than anyone else, is actively advancing the cause of civil liberties around the world?
12/04/02: 'Tis the season to hope for the worst
11/27/02: The Federal P.C. Police Versus Small Business Owners (Cont'd)
11/19/02: Bipartisan moves to reward illegals
11/13/02: Eminem, a rebel? You gotta be kidding!
11/05/02: In defense of low turnout
10/30/02: Hell, no they won't go!
10/22/02: Where are the moderate Muslims?
10/15/02: California dreaming, cont'd
10/08/02: Slick Willie's running
10/01/02: Euro-worries about wall flower status
09/26/02: How lucky we are that the Straight Talk Express drove off the cliff!
09/18/02: What Jackson and Sharpton know about conservatives
09/12/02: The Today Show v. guns
08/27/02: Bush not attending the UN-sponsored "bash Amerika" conference!?
08/20/02: The NEA: Let the anti-American indoctrination begin!
08/13/02: Bubba's revenge
08/07/02: Bilingual bust continues its drag on our schools
07/30/02: Dems love for big lawyers=big opportunity
07/23/02: No time for vacation
07/16/02: Is Homeland Security all wet?
06/25/02: The firing season has arrived
06/18/02: Picking the next chief
06/11/02: Intelligence coup, with much more to do
06/07/02: The Bush administration's foul ball
05/30/02: Post-feminism in the aftermath of 9-11
05/23/02: The press gunning for Ashcroft
05/19/02: El Jefe basks in Carter's Light
05/15/02: Former presidents who don't understand the word "former"
05/07/02: Ozzy deified, many mortified, drugs glorified?
05/01/02: Bush: "California here I come ... sort of"
04/27/02: The good news about conservatives versus Bush
04/17/02: While the cat's away....
04/09/02: Preview of 2004: See how Dick runs!
01/29/02: A kinder, gentler human-rights violator?
11/27/01: Military tribunals provide streamlined justice
09/07/01: Scariest animal wears pants
08/17/01: Depressed after seeing uncut version of Apocalypse Now --- and for good reason
07/20/01: The other, maybe more important, news
06/22/01: Washington's pro-Bono worship is unnerving
06/01/01: Burying conservatism
05/17/01: Ashcroft's abuse of power

© 2002, Laura Ingraham