U.S. planning more invasions, McGovern says
By BRUCE MURPHY
bmurphy@journalsentinel.com
Last Updated: March 26, 2003
Former U.S. Senator and Democratic presidential candidate George McGovern charged Wednesday that President Bush intends to invade North Korea and Iran after finishing with Iraq.
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"Even now, these wars are being planned by the current administration," McGovern said. "I'm positive, based on conversations with people close to the White House, that plans are in place for the next invasions."
McGovern did not disclose who his sources were, and attempts to get a response were not successful before deadline.
McGovern was in Milwaukee to speak at the Great Decisions conference Tuesday night, and at the First Unitarian church Wednesday. He noted that American soldiers still patrol Korea, more than 50 years after the war there, and predicted the Bush agenda could involve American soldiers overseas for decades.
McGovern, a decorated World War II veteran who ran unsuccessfully for president in 1972 as an opponent of the Vietnam War, said he supported the Gulf War but opposed the current action.
"This is clearly an American invasion. The chance of Iraq attacking the U.S. is about the same as attack from Mars," McGovern said. "Everybody knows Osama bin Laden was the man who conceived the 9-11 attack, but by harping on this, (the Bush administration) has gradually convinced 51 percent of the American people that Saddam was behind it."
McGovern said the Sept. 11, 2001, attack was done by religious extremists, whereas Hussein is "a hard-bitten atheist. I don't think he'd give Osama the time of day."
McGovern compared the action in Iraq to Japan's sneak attack on Pearl Harbor.
"The Japanese tried to put out that line, that they thought America was going to attack them, and this was a pre-emptive strike. That didn't sell at the war crimes trial (after World War II)."
Noting that Japan's plotters were found to be war criminals, McGovern said, "it's quite possible an action of that kind (by the World Court) would be brought against Bush if there are a lot of people killed in a country we've invaded."
McGovern, who was a history professor before going into politics, predicted the doctrine of pre-emption could tie the hands of future presidents. "If we were to protest a pre-emptive attack by Pakistan on India with nuclear weapons, we'd have no influence at all if we ourselves had used that doctrine in Iraq and probably in places to come. We'd have no moral or political foundation to stand on," he said.
McGovern, who is 80, was president of the Middle East Policy Council from 1991 to 1998 and currently serves as the United Nation's global ambassador on hunger. He said America's international standing has declined markedly because of the Iraq war. |
