Cheney and Powell: Dissension In The Ranks or Crafty Politics?

Hard to tell. It's unlikely Bush 43 would put up with a lot of rogue talk, even from Powell, so he may be sent out with moderate rhetoric so it can look like all options are exhausted. Part of it may be calling the Iraqi bluff ... we know the UN will never do it ... and part of it may be to resolve the doubts in the US.

We keep being told we can't do this or that without allies ... which is all complete bunk. The fact is they have been window dressing for 20 years. The Gulf conflict showed how far NATO was behind the US and that gap has only grown. We never let them do anything besides security details in the Gulf or Afghanistan. Will it make them feel better to be consulted?

Sure, but at the end of the day the EU nations are not the big dogs, so they don't have the targets on their backs. It's easy for them to talk about peace and love while they quietly mutter racism and intolerance. The US has a national security risk as long as petty dictators can launch devastating attacks against us. If we happen to eliminate that risk and make the mid-east a better place, that's certainly a bonus.

Mr. Powell certainly recognizes that last time the American people did not have the stomach to oust Hussein when the goal was clearly just to get him out of Kuwait. It is evident that he funds terrorists, just like it is evident Iran arms them. But one problem at a time. The Iranian people have had enough of demagogues in the name of religion and have shown the fortitude to take care of this problem themselves. The fall of Iraq will only speed that process along.

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