The Blob

Monday, March 17, 2003

On My Mark, Unleash Hell

Regardless of what side of the fence you're on - pro or con - on the matter of a pending war in Iraq, I think anyone who saw President Bush's speech tonight agreed that it was unambiguous. Simply put, Saddam Hussein has 48 hours to blink. After that, visualize what Russel Crowe said so matter-of-factly in Gladiator: "On my mark, unleash Hell."

At this point, I am not happy over what is about to happen. But make no mistake: I am with President Bush on this question. That said, I don't do so lightly. Allow me to explain.

I once was fortunate to listen to a speech by General Norman Schwartzkopf on the subject of war. He, like President Bush, was unambiguous. Schwartzkopf explained that no general worth his stars enters into war willingly. More than anyone else, he knows that young men and women, who represent the future, will be asked to sacrifice their lives because diplomacy could not be made to work in this case. (It is hard, if not impossible to make diplomacy work if one side refuses to sincerely participate.) War is often the failure of peace more than the lust for conflict. And it is often the diplomats to get us into the war, and the horrid task of the soldiers to get us out. Perhaps that is why President Bush looked noticeably older tonight. Only a madman would gleefully seek to commence hostilities. And that is what I did not see on the face of the President.

I've given all of this a lot of thought. We're picking a fight. But are we? After all, Saddam Hussein has basically given the world the finger for over a decade. He has refused to negotiate in honesty or sincerity. He rules a nation of incredible wealth and natural resources, and yet his people starve. He has squandered a vast fortune to make the most unthinkable of weapons, when he could have helped build a thriving nation instead. He has lavished himself with ornate palaces while his people squander and live in fear. The world may be divided about the war to come, but there is no disagreement about Hussein. It is sad then, that a country like France, which suffered so at the wanton brutality of Adolph Hitler, would acquiesce to standing against tyranny. Conflicts of interest? Perhaps. After all, Total Petroleum, a large French oil conglomerate, is owed billions by the Iraqis. They stand to lose this if a new post-war government in Iraq declares past debts null and void. Perhaps the feelings of the French and others like them are sincere that war should be avoided. And, we have to prepare for a violent, virulent onslaught of terrorism that could be the inevitable backlash of a U.S. led war. I've thought a lot about that. I've thought about how war is a crude instrument, regardless of how we try to sanitize it with technology and PR spin. Innocents will die. And Hussein could live for another day as a pariah. I sincerely doubt that the outcome will be exactly the way we want it, no matter what we do.

So should we give in and hold off on unleashing Hell? I wish it were that simple. I believe that if we try to seek peace in our time, as was once said by former Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain of Great Britain at the start of World War II, Hell will not avoid seeking us out. Appeasement will not avoid terrorism or intimidation; in fact, it may invite even more. We now live in an age when even a two-bit dictator has the recipe for an atomic bomb, sarin or anthrax and the means to deliver it worldwide. In the mind of a dictator, appeasement is a sign of weakness. To paraphrase Nietze, that which does not destroy a Saddam Hussein may make him stronger.

I hate the decision I have made. But I am sure of it. If we choose peace, we invite terror. By choosing war, I offer no guarantees. But I know this: we cannot let evil grow stronger. We have to bring fear to the hearts of terrorists. We have to bring the fight to the forces of darkness. We cannot let darkness reign. It does not mean that we won't suffer terrible wounds. And I have grave feelings that young men, women and children, innocents all, will die. I am sure that another horrible terrorist attack is inevitable. But the good people of the world deserve better. In order to live in peace, we have to rid the world of darkness. I may never live to see this completely, but I know one thing: to stand aside meekly only gives those who hate us for what we are more time to try to bring about our destruction.

We have spent a decade trying to reason with someone who acts without reason or remorse. Someone who will use the next 48 hours foolishly. Someone who has refused to accept the agreements he pledged to live by. And now, that someone, and those like him, have to go. It won't be pretty. But it must be done. For the good of the rest of the world. I am fearful that in taking the steps we contemplate, that we will have many bad days ahead. But if we don't stop him and those like him, the world will fall into darkness. And I for one refuse to accept that.

I say this with great misgivings, but also with great certainty: On my mark, unleash Hell.

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