WHAT ARE WE WAITING FOR?

March 6, 2003 - We are America and we are waiting. What are we waiting for? That is a good question. What is it that we are waiting for? The Congress has long ago abdicated its Constitutional responsibility to decide the question of war or peace in its usual exhibition of political cowardice. It handed the President the power to make war whenever he chooses against whatever country or shadowy gang he chooses. Now we know that the President has made the decision. He has spent a billion or two of our money putting a quarter million American service personnel and their equipment on the Iraqi border. He did not do that to bring them home again. It hasn’t been an exercise.

What is it that we are waiting for? It isn’t for international approval. We asked and the French said NON, the Russians said NYET, and the Germans said NEIN, but then the Germans don’t count. The Chinese agree with the French and the Russians and that makes the vote not even close. The President says that Iraq is defying the will of the International Community. The Arab League says war is not the answer. Hans Blix says he is making progress and he needs more time. The Pope say that war is immoral. The international community is not speaking with one voice but the loudest voices just say no. But no matter, those voices are irrelevant and we aren’t listening.

What is it that we are waiting for? It isn’t for more countries to join the President’s coalition of the willing. We have the Brits – at least so far. We have the Spanish and the Italians. We have the solid phalanx of the Poles, the Czechs and the Bulgarians. That seems to be the only ones that are willing. The Turks said that they needed the money but you can’t play in our back yard. The Arab league says its is not time for war. But no matter, we can go it alone.

What ARE we waiting for? It isn’t for the American people to unite behind this war. America is still too skeptical and divided for even the President’s closest political yesmen to believe that is possible. Kim Song Il is waiting too. Is he waiting to see the troops in motion? The Korean dictator of the North tells the world he has nuclear weapons. He tells the world he is withdrawing from the Non-proliferation Treaty. He tells the world he is ready for war with America and it will be a conflagration. But America says Kim is no threat, diplomacy will defuse the situation and we have other fish to fry.

What are we waiting for? The President has shouted and brandished his big stick. He has discarded America’s alliances one by one. What is he waiting for? $4.00 a gallon gasoline? An end to Medicare? More tax cuts? Or is sanity slowly creeping into the Whitehouse?