Actually, Bush does have a very great out in this. But, unfortunately the fundamentalist radicals in the White House won't let him do it.
You see, the orthodox diplomatic ways just won't work now. A leader in a situation such as Bush must champion the unorthodox strategy in order to achieve a victory, absent the use of military force which can only lead to a questionable result, at best. He can't simply wag his tail and pull out the troops, that would appear defeatest not only diplomatically but also it would severely bruise his, and others' ego.
So in order to win he must do the unexpected!
Bush could immediately fly off to the Vatican and meet with the Pope, the world's most well-known religious leader who has called for peace not war. He would request the pope to help him find a peaceful resolution not just to Iraq, but greater problems that nations in the world face today.
Next, the pope would call for a meeting in Rome of all of the world's religious leaders. While this is happening, Bush and Powell would hopscotch along and quickly meet with leaders from Italy, Russia, China, France Germany, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, etc.
So what are they talking about? Two things very important:
1) How to take the wind from the sails of OBL's Al Qaeda capabilities, by showing the world's religious leaders are on the same page against terrorism and also on the same page as resolving the problems of human rights, of poverty and malnutrition; of combating disease and plagued environments, assuring safe drinking water and economic self-determination.
Have the leaders of all of the major religions in the world come together jointly in a call for worldwide peace and harmony. A call to action for the world's political leaders.
2) Rather than make Saddam Hussein the bogeyman, bring him into the fold. Ask him to commit his oil-rich resources to helping to solve some of the problems described in point one. Get him to sign non-agression pacts with his neighbors. In effect, enlist his support in beginning a dictators anonymous program. See if he'd agree to changing the manner in which he has run his country from a bad way into a good way and that as he undergoes these changes get his help in making other dictators reform as well. Get his support in going after OBL's worldwide terrorist organization.
Have the leaders of the world's most powerful nations, together, vow to improve the plight of the suffering nations, as described in point one above. Let the world's leaders, under Bush's call, show true leadership instead of brinkmanship. Do the photo op with the world's religious leaders.
Bottom line: Wage a real and genuine battle for peace and forget about ugliness of war, a war that can only bring the world and its people to a brink of disaster of unknown magnitude. Since the technology of the world has changed, maybe, if we tried, we could better solve the problems of the world without resorting to death and destruction as a tool.
If Bush is a compassionate conservative, if Bush is a reformer with results then he should do this, not what he's about to do. Only the world on the edge of a third world war could create such a vastly different result than what would be expected, i.e., the war itself. Use this potential for war as a catalyst to something better for the world's inhabitants.
Amen!!! |
