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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: carranza2 who wrote (69210)	1/27/2003 6:54:52 PM
From: FaultLine	Respond to of 281500

Hi C2; The US will use sophisticated weapons with pinpoint accuracy to "shock and awe" the Iraqi Armed Forces into a quick surrender. I keep thinking back to someone's statement to the effect that the top echelons of the Iraqi government and military know they face certain defeat and possibly even death. The advance should be swift. --fl

To: carranza2 who wrote (69210)	1/27/2003 7:18:03 PM
From: MSI	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

I would like to revisit this post after the war is over. So would I. One hopes your guess of a limited battle emerges, or better, is avoided altogether. Maybe someone in the Iraqi structure will "blink" But even so, there is the fundamental issue that is simply accepted by presumption: not just the usual problem of limitless and uninvited "USA as World Cop", but also things like criticism of the US "trashing Westfalia" as Perle complained about this morning, with the awkward and embarassing rejoinder that the 'axis of weasles have already trashed the Treaty' and so their objections are worthless ... a ridiculous argument on its face, but clearly indicative of the intent and priorites of Mr. Perle and the administration. It's the kind of sophistry going around these days, which means, when you parse it, that (a)contrary countries or people don't matter, and (b)we will do what we want, with or to any country we wish. This contradicts any notion of internat'l rule of law, obviously. "Trashing Westfailia" is a quaint phrase for ruining credibility and fomenting opposition and suspicion for many years to come. Neither does anyone have fundamental decency in mind as an argument. The media cannot afford the time, it would apparently take more rationalizing and sophistry than 150 channels and hundreds of of Heritage Group talking heads can provide, to start with a concept of "decency", and attempt to arrive at current policies. It is instead presumed that, given sufficient violence and claims of threats here at home, we are justified, and somehow protected, by projecting that abroad, on some enemy declared by the Executive, on the Executive's timetable, with secret Executive "evidence", answerable only to the Executive. Reminds one of the comment to Bob Woodward, on the tape that cannot be released except in sound bites, "I don't have to answer questions". The Achilles Heel of this administration. The Executive Branch is trying spread the indictment of viciousness we got a tast of on 9/11 like some sort of poisonous jelly, onto whatever country whose turn it is to be the "toast". There are no rules required, other than "because we can". Even with an Administration full of Saints, that would be tough to swallow.