OPINION & EDITORIAL
Bush Culminates Argument — Saddam Leaves World No Choice
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Also by Matt Modell:
- Taking responsibility for your decisions (April 24, 2003)
- An honorable and just battle (November 20, 2003)
- Ethical behavior should be encouraged at universities (December 10, 2003)
- Fixing the problems of ASM (November 25, 2003)
- The key word is 'illegal' (December 4, 2003)
Related Stories:
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- Brief history of Iraq conflict proves U.S. must pull out (April 13, 2007)
- A diplomatic two-step (January 27, 2003)
- George Bush and John Kerry: The Vietnam years (September 1, 2004)
- TAA opposes penalizing student protesters (March 4, 2003)
by Matt Modell
Thursday, January 30, 2003
“Since when have terrorists and tyrants announced their intentions, politely putting us on notice before they strike?”
-President George W. Bush, State of the Union Address, January 28, 2003.
In Madison, anti-war Americans are everywhere — seeking to carry on the “glory days” of protesting found during Vietnam when protesters dominated not only headlines on this campus, but nationally as well. Former Mayor Paul Soglin, who is once again running for mayor, is undoubtedly hoping voters remember his anti-war activism during Vietnam when they go to the polls next month.
Today is different. We were attacked. The events of Sept. 11, 2001 still hang as a reminder of how the world has changed and that America is vulnerable.
President Bush made the case clear — we cannot wait. Republicans and Democrats agree: Saddam Hussein is a tyrant and a terrorist.
And even though we cannot wait, the president remains patient. He understands war needs to be avoided when possible. Not at all costs — not in exchange for liberty, freedom or temporary security — but avoided if at all possible.
The United States worked with the United Nations for seven weeks to draft and pass unanimously U.N. Security Council Resolution 1441.
U.N. member nations have waited diligently for two months, hoping U.N. weapons inspectors could do their job and make sure Saddam Hussein had dismantled, destroyed or gave up his weapons of mass destruction and biological weapons.
For two months the world has been lied to and misled, and Hussein continues to ignore U.N. requests for U-2 surveillance flights to help ensure weapons are being dismantled and destroyed. Inspectors have requested meetings with individual Iraqi scientists on 14 occasions — they have been denied all 14 times.
Hussein has proven time and again that he poses a threat to the United States and the world. He has willingly beaten, tortured and raped his own citizens. He invaded Kuwait 12 years ago and has violated the conditions he surrendered to ever since he was defeated.
Hussein has been collecting biological and chemical weapons like they were baseball cards. His collection includes enough warfare to produce over 25,000 liters of anthrax, produce more than 38,000 liters of botulinum toxin and the materials to produce as much as 500 tons of sarin, mustard and VX nerve agent.
However, unlike baseball cards, he is not collecting these toxins to look at or admire. Hussein is looking for avenues to use this warfare or sell it to terrorist cells that will use these chemicals against democratic nations.
Proof of the threat terrorists still pose was evident last week when British officials uncovered a plot where terrorists had planned on using ricin to attack British citizens.
No doubt these terrorists would like to purchase the arsenal of biological and chemical weapons Hussein possesses.
And now, even after such a long wait, the president is giving Hussein one more week to fully comply with U.N. Security Council Resolution 1441 and actively cooperate with U.N. weapons inspectors.
War can be averted. It is clear from the Bush administration’s actions and patience that the president does not want to go to war. Republicans do not want to go to war. And Democrats do not want to go to war. American lives will be lost. The lives of ally soldiers will be lost. Innocent Iraqi civilian lives will be lost.
No one wants to see this happen, but Hussein leaves the world with little choice. We know he has these weapons because he had them at the end of the war 12 years ago. If Hussein really has destroyed them, all the U.N. is asking for is proof. That is it.
Provide proof that all weapons have been destroyed and war can be averted. Anti-war Americans, like the ones in Madison, seem to be missing this point — that truth will surely avert war and that it is Hussein who is lying.
We saw proof of these lies two weeks ago when U.N. inspectors uncovered 16 munitions capable of delivering chemical agents. U.S. intelligence indicates Hussein had upwards of 30,000 of these munitions capable of delivering chemical agents. According to the Iraqi weapons declaration, zero existed.
We ignored terrorism for too long before Sept. 11, 2001. The Western world thought it was safe. Terrorism would not touch us. The United States and the rest of the world learned a hard, cold lesson on that sad September day. We must learn from that and not sit idly by as Saddam Hussein continues to lie and deceive the world while he works with terrorists and builds up his arsenal.
Saddam’s son, Uday, said if America attacks Iraq, Iraq would make Sept. 11 look like a picnic. He is wrong. Sept. 11 will only look like a picnic at the hands of the Hussein regime if we allow them to stay in power and do not force disarmament; we would then be essentially inviting an attack from Iraq.
It is difficult to admit war may be necessary because most of us know at least one person who has been deployed or may be if we are forced into battle. We can only pray Hussein comes completely clean now that he faces no choice but war. Otherwise, we will be forced to fight for the safety and security of the United States and the world.
Matt Modell (mmodell@badgerherald.com) is a senior majoring in journalism and political science.
