1/31/2003
You and Your Big Speech
So SotU 2 happened. It was a good speech, not a great speech. It reassured those who were already there, gently persuaded those who were looking for persuading, and did nothing for those who were already dead set against. (All of politics now takes place in the middle twenty percent.)Germany and France have some time to back pedal. Germany will; France won't.
The anti-war press (this means you, Chris Matthews) continues to present the situation as a binary go-it-alone or go-with-the-UN. But this is a lie. We're not going it alone. We're either going in with UN sanction and a bunch of allies, or we're going in with further UN sanction and a bigger bunch of allies. The latter is preferable, but not required. Accusations of unilateralism are way off the mark. The American left and France may accuse the US of unilateralism, but all this charge really means is that the people who are making the charge didn't win the argument. (Try this at your office! The next time someone declines to take your advice, accuse them of unilateralism!)
Here's hoping that our goals in Iraq will be achieved with minimal loss of life on both sides. I'm looking foward to the next parade in Baghdad, where Iraqi and American flags will be waved side by side.
