--- Gautam Mukunda <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > --- Deborah Harrell <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > --- Gautam Mukunda <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > <snipped a lot> > > > 2. Being ruled by Saddam Hussein is not, in > fact, good for the people of Iraq > > > And protesting the war is protesting to keep > > Saddam > > > Hussein in power. There isn't a middle ground > > > alternative. <mini-snip> > > > No third choice. > > > > But there is a subset of the "war" option: > > essentially > > unilateral US war, or UN-sanctioned military > > action/war > > (with the US of course being the major player) <snip> > > But there isn't an alternative. Saying it doesn't > make it so. The UN is not going to support a war - > or, more accurately, _the only circumstance_ in > which > it will is if the US makes it clear that, with or > without UN approval, the war is going to happen. <snip> > So saying > UN-sanctioned military action is an alternative is > simply not true. UN-sanctioned military action is > even a possibility only because the Bush > Administration has made it clear that it will, with > or without UN approval, do this. So if that's what > you > want, then you've been protesting the only thing > that might possibly bring it about.
I earlier posted the possibility that the build-up *is* a "good cop - bad cop" gambit, although I think I posited a goal of Saddam's backing down, not of the UN declaring war. Here is where behind the scenes arm-twisting (politely! :} ) might have, and might yet, work. > Even _with_ that, it's > unlikely that the UNSC will actually pass an _18th_ > resolution condemning Iraq. In which case, what? My understanding of the 17th was that there was an implied clearance for military action if Iraq failed to cooperate...? Is that incorrect? > Sit > on our hands because the French governments wants it > that way? I mean, the idea that a country with > France's record even has a say in this sort of thing > would be a joke if it weren't so tragic. So, in the > world of the possible, what is the alternative? I think I addressed this a little earlier - basically, that the Admin needs to provide *convincing* arguments. Reading Dan's post of the UK poll, the British public doesn't think they've been provided enough info either. Apparently neither do the Spanish people, or the Mexicans, or the Turks. And not a few people on this list. <snarky comment ;) > If it was so black-and-white, why do so many question? Debbi __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Tax Center - forms, calculators, tips, more http://taxes.yahoo.com/ _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
