Ed Wood "The Right Stuff" Published Sept. 11, 2002

The sounds of silence

Wouldn't it be nice, if only for once, all the two-bit politicians and political commentators would just shut up about what we should do, or should not do, about Iraq?

You can't open the paper or listen to any of the talking-head TV programs without some self-styled expert, past or present, expressing an opinion on something they obviously know very little about.

Discussions on important matters can be constructive. And these discussions should, and I am sure are, being held among those who have the responsibility for such actions. But all these so-called expert opinions do nothing but divide our resolve as a nation, and make us look silly and weak on the world scene.

Commentators are quoting unnamed sources as saying we will attack Iraq before the November elections. Others say it will be after the elections. Some say after the first of the year, others before Ramadan. Some say President Bush has the authority to attack at will. Others say he doesn't.

Of course Hollywood's Susan Sarandon has chimed in with "You're so lucky in Ireland, England and Spain. Everyone there already knows what it's like to have inexplicable terrorist violence." (I'm still working on that one!)

We have gone down this road before with Saddam. George Bush #1 is being criticized because he didn't take Saddam out when he had the opportunity. But it was the same Gen. Colin Powell and the same security advisor Brent Scowcroft who advised Bush against finishing the job, and who are now saying we must continue to negotiate with Saddam.

Negotiate what? We did that already. A condition for not capturing Baghdad during the Gulf War was that UN inspection teams would assure that Iraq had no capability for developing weapons of mass destruction. Of course, Saddam told the UN just what to do with their inspectors, and you know the rest of that story.

One day we had Dr. Henry Kissinger being quoted in The New York Times as saying "The administration has not adequately planned for military action, not made the case that it is needed." Then a couple days later he reversed himself in the Washington Post with a call for "bringing matters to a head with Iraq" and for showing that "a terrorist challenge to a systematic attack on the international order produces catastrophic consequences."

Former Secretary of State James Baker is calling for a new UN Security Council resolution ordering more inspections in Iraq before we consider military action. Now let's see. The term of the Syrian ambassador as president of the UN Security Council has expired. The president in September will be the ambassador from Bulgaria. But if we can just hold out a little longer, beginning Oct. 1, the Security Council president will be the ambassador from Cameroon. That oughta' be a big help!

Do I know the answer? Surely not. But at least I know that I don't know. Which is more than I can say for most of these self-styled experts with all their conflicting advice.

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Ed Wood is a resident of Sparta, TN. His column is published each Wednesday in the Crossville Chronicle.