I don't think either leader is actually an imbecile, as much as I loathe and despise the Shrub.
That doesn't mean Saddam will not do something that we would view as stupid.
Take a look at what Osama did. He viewed it as right, and righteous, but anyone looking at it from outside just had to be saying to themselves, "Wtf were you thinking? What did you expect the US to do when you poke them in the eye like that?"
Of course, this doesn't preclude the likely possibility that Osama knew exactly what would happen, and didn't mind his country getting demolished, just so he could point to the imperialistic USA and show the muslim world what war-mongering, insensitive evil people we are.
People who do not have any consideration for the people under their care, such as Osama, Hussein, and yes, even Bush, are dangerous, and likely to do just about anything they feel is necessary to further their own ends.
I am not in support of military action in the middle east, myself, but neither do I consider Hussein a non-threat.
What bothers me isn't that Bush is going after Hussein, but the reasons he is actually doing it.
Like other presidents before him, he won't eliminate the threat. He will reduce its danger, but leave it viable so that in a few years, the military-industrial complex will have a new place to spend bombs.
Have you noticed that Osama is still walking around? We've pushed his organization back a few years, but its not gone, and neither is he. In 10, maybe 20 years, we'll have a fresh new crop of people who will justify another bombing run. Does anyone seriously believe that the US was unable to bring enough forces to bear to find and eliminate this guy? We dropped tons and tons of bombs, with no concern for money, no concern for what it did to deplete the arms we have stockpiled. (Well, actually, there WAS some concern there. They wanted to deplete it enough to order a huge new round of manufacturing.)
War isn't about ideologies anymore. It's about money. War is good business, especially for munitions manufacturers. It's been this way since Vietnam, and probably before. The only good thing that's come about is the increase in tech that allows us to not expend our soldiers lives like we did a couple decades ago. Pity the same can't be said about the countries we choose for opponents.
btw, Bush just happens to be the one in power. The system is what's wrong. Not the man. Wouldn't have mattered if Gore had been in power, except he might not have been such a hawk. The end result would have been about the same. What we need is people in power who think about their country, not their business partners/campaign contributors. Unfortunately, I don't think we're going to be seeing that anytime soon.
Am I cynical? You bet. Am I wrong? I don't know. What do you think? |
