Saddam Hussein is one of the bad guys. No one, at least not here in the United States, is arguing that point with President Bush.
We know he’s a belligerent, expansionist despot, one who’s willing to gas citizens of his own nation and invade neighboring countries.
We know he covets weapons of mass destruction –biological, chemical and nuclear – and thumbs his nose at U.N. resolutions regarding weapons inspections.
We know his hatred is such that, if he is not in direct league with terrorists, he at least cheers each time they attack Israel or the United States.
We know he’s just wacky enough in his fanaticism that, given the opportunity, he might use a weapon of mass destruction against us or some of his Arab neighbors.
We don’t need Bush or Vice President Dick Cheney to tell us any of these things. What we don’t know, however, is why the threat from Hussein is so much more acute at this moment than it was a year ago, five years ago, 10 years ago. What we don’t know is what makes the president and vice president think the danger is so imminent that they’re leaning toward a pre-emptive attack on Iraq – without the approval of Congress and without allies supporting us.
So far, all Bush and Cheney have told us are the things we already know. We must be the aggressor, they say, because he’s a bad guy. That’s not good enough – not for the other nations of the world, not for Congress, not for the American people. All need more proof that the threat from Hussein has escalated to the point that he must be taken out.
Obviously, if we’re going to shoot first, we can’t ask to be shown a smoking gun in the hand of the enemy. But at least give us some evidence that there is a loaded gun and that it’s pointed vaguely in someone’s direction.
Once we see that evidence, public support, congressional approval and even allied help will be forthcoming. Absent such evidence, though, there is this nagging notion that we’re going after Hussein now solely because the war on terrorism gives President Bush the Younger the opportunity to go President Bush the Elder one better.
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(c) 2002, Lexington Herald-Leader (Lexington, Ky.).
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