Sunday, March 30, 2003

THOUGHTS ON THE WAR IN IRAQ

Here are some random thoughts about the war in Iraq, now in its second week.

1. Are we "saving" Iraq by destroying it? As you watch the images of the bombing of Baghdad
and of the dead civilians, the fire fights, and so on, I can only wonder if this is the best way to "save"
Iraq from Saddam...he may be a monster (and there are many others like him) but is the medicine
we're using--blowing up Iraq--worse than the ailment?

2. What is is that led Bush to decide upon this war? American public opinion supported the war
only if the United Nations backed it...and Bush was unable to obtain this backing. Was this
diplomatic disaster on the Bush administration's part behind Bush's decision to go to war? Was
Bush's revulsion against Saddam's monstrous behavior behind it? If so, will Bush's revulsion
against various monstrous dictators lead to other wars?

3. How long will American public opinion support the war? We were told the war would be
"weeks, not months" and we were led to believe that this war would be similar to the last Iraq
war, that lasted 100 hours. But this time we've invaded Iraq and aren't repelling Iraqis from
Kuwait. The American public is very fickle and if we don't get a quick win, and a relatively
painless one--from our point of view, which means not many casualties--public opinion may
change.