If Saddam Hussein “fails to comply [with U.N. inspections], and we fail to act, or we take some ambiguous third route which gives him yet more opportunities to develop his program of weapons of mass destruction and continue to press for the release of the sanctions and continue to ignore the solemn commitments that he made? Well, he will conclude that the international community has lost its will. He will then conclude that he can go right on and do more to rebuild an arsenal of devastating destruction… If we fail to respond today, Saddam and all those who would follow in his footsteps will be emboldened tomorrow… Some day, some way, I guarantee you, he’ll use the arsenal.” – Bill Clinton, February 18, 1998. How soon they forget. And some of them accuse president Bush of cynicism?
GOOD NEWS: The administration seems to be following the strategy I wrote about last Tuesday. Use the U.N. – but don’t be used by it. The case is so strong we can afford to exhaust every single peaceful avenue, as long as we don’t leave open the possibility of Saddam wriggling out of his obligations.
The Dish 