From: artkramr@

Define deep do-do

Not facing a guerilla war. Not facing a hostile population on the verge of a
national uprising against US presence. Not even close to "another
Vietnam"--not that I ever thought that Vietnam was a "Vietnam."

And no sign of the imminent
threat from Iraq.

That is one of Bernard Henri-Levi's key points. He agrees that invading Iraq
was right morally--to depose an odious dictator, period. But it was wrong
politically and strategically because it took our eyes off the main threat
which is principally to the US, but in the long run to all of Western
civilization. This threat--and it is a very, very serious one--in his view
emanates from Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, and to a lesser extent from Yemen.
Now the US is tied up with Iraq, there is no solid allied front against radical
Islam in the West...and the most violent and devastating attacks against the
West are building towards their inevitable execution while the West and its
sole remaining paladin (I *love* that description of the US--especially coming
from a Frenchman!) squabble among themselves and focus on the wrong enemy.

It sure would have been nice if the US and Europe (and even Japan, Thailand and
other Asian nations) could have sat down together and planned out how to
counter this real challenge to our civilization and acted together to defeat
it. If Pakistan was determined to be the real core that needed to be taken on,
I would love to have seen French and German troops attacking alongside US,
British and Aussie forces.
Somehow we have messed up this defense of the West. i don't see it as solely
the fault of Bush. The French certainly were confrontational when they
probably could have been more effective as concerned but cooperating friends.
The Germans weren't much better....well, we all know how things have played out
among the allies.

It is hard not to question the
administrations judgement under these conditions.

I don't believe there has ever been an administration whose judgements I
haven't questioned; that's part of being a concerned citizen.
I tend to see Bush as like Truman in a number of ways, both in his personality,
his previous political experience, his unexpected ascension to power, the way
the press treats him and especially in the huge and unexpected foreign policy
threats he faces, threats that will not only define his presidency and his
place in history, but will change the direction of US and world history for
decades to come.


Chris Mark