Stephen McBride ([email protected])
Sun, 20 Dec 1998 16:21:32 -0000
Why are you Americans feeling so dreadful about Clinton's
impeachment? I think it is a wonderful testimony to the democracy
your country is; that no-one is above the rule of law. Even if the
republican party's motives are somewhat suspect, nevertheless,
Clinton is a perjuror. Thus, like any other citizen, he should pay
the penalty the law demands for this.
I wish we in the UK could put leaders on trial! The last time we did
was 1649!
As for the bombing of Iraq... well, given that the two airforces are
targetting military targets, like weapons dumps, etc., i would
imagine that the civilian casualties will be minimal. Whilst war is
regrettable and will always have innocent casualties, the alternative
to air strikes, ie: doing nothing is too ghastly to contemplate.
The last time this was tried, it was called appeasement, and the
UK and France bent over backwards to give Hitler what he wanted.
It didn't work. Hitler wanted a war. Saddam is in the same mould.
If he is given an inch, he takes a mile. He adores brinkmanship.
By having his chemical arsenal blown upon him, he has been
deprived of a great deal of his ability to wage war.
The US and UK have been admirably restrained. If Iraq had
targetted Israel again, as they did in 1991, their PM, Netanyahou
would have taken the bait and launched open war. As they nearly
did in 1983.
No, war is not nice. But there are times when there is no
alternative. My only gripe is that the West is cynical in its
choices. Air strikes over a desert carry comparitively little risk.
The UN, NATO, etc. wasn't so willing to take off the gloves against
the Bosnian Serbs, because strategically, the former Yugoslavia's
topography make it a nightmare tofight a quick surgical war in. So
thousands were left to be murdered by the Serbs.
If only our leaders had been quicker to impose their will there...
Stephen
"I sound my barbaric yawp over the roofs of the world" - Walt Whitman
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