Just Like Monica

National Review ^ | Feb. 5, 2003 | Mark Steyn

[conservativecorner]

Powell speaks to the frivolous.

By Mark Steyn

few days ago, I said this thing was getting like Monica: by the time you're in Year Two, no smoking gun is ever quite smoking enough. It's perfectly obvious from Colin Powell's presentation what's going on. Ten minutes before the flatfoots show up, the bootleg liquor is whisked away, replaced by teacups and the gaming table gets dropped through the trapdoor and replaced by an ornamental fountain. If you think Saddam Hussein is a lovable rogue — as Mr. Chirac does — this is all part of a grand ongoing comedy, to which the French and Russians made their own exquisite contribution by proposing to strengthen the monitoring regime by doubling the number of inspectors, etc., etc., etc., ad infinitum. If the Powell evidence made anything plain, it's this: The idea of "monitoring" a dictator is ludicrous. Saddam is quite happy to participate for another decade or two in an eternal ongoing U.N. field study of dictatorship.

Resolution 1441, painstakingly negotiated by General Powell and French Foreign Minister de Villepin, was never a test of Saddam. It was a test of the U.N. The faxed-in boilerplate responses to the Powell presentation couldn't have been clearer.

France: "They raise questions which deserve further investigation…." China: "We support the continuation of inspections…." "Russia welcomes the continuation of dialogue…. We hope that this dialogue will be extremely concrete…. The Security Council may need to adopt a new resolution, and perhaps more than one…."

Four, five, nine, there's always room for one more. You got the feeling that if they could have dragged out their expressions of condolences regarding the space shuttle for the full seven minutes, they'd have been happy to do so.

This is serious business. The U.S. and British remarks were sober and credible. The French, Russian, and Chinese were frivolous. The most relevant observation was Powell's assertion of al Qaeda's presence in Iraq for the last eight months. If that's accurate, it's not a U.N. matter, it's a threat to America's national security. Which shouldn't be dependent on the whims of the French veto.

— Mark Steyn is a columnist for Britain's Daily Telegraph and Canada's National Post. His website is www.marksteyn.com. A collection of some of his post-9/11 columns, The Face of the Tiger has just been released and can be ordered here.

[Humidston]

This situation reminds me of my liberal relatives....

They have two horrible boys, already one on ritalin in first grade because they can't control either of them.

They're the types you see in public with monster kids acting up... "Honey, if you don't behave, I'm going to have to count to three..."

One
Two
Two and a half...

"Honey, darling, PULLEEASE don't MAKE me have to count..."

One
Two

(You get the point)

[Pokey78]

Steyn ping.

[dead]

The most relevant observation was Powell's assertion of al Qaeda's presence in Iraq for the last eight months. If that's accurate, it's not a U.N. matter, it's a threat to America's national security.

Exactly.

F#*k you UN. F#*k you France. F#*k you Germany.

These people killed 3000 innocent American civilians. They want to kill millions more.

We will deal with them. You will decide whether you want to side with us or them.

And we will never forget your decision.

[Howlin]

I saw some black haired witch on Donahue tonight saying we had NO idea whether those tapes Powell played today were real..........and she was an American!

Imagine!

[Intolerant in NJ]

... no smoking gun is ever quite smoking enough. ...national security ain't a court trial - makes you wonder what would have been an adequate smoking gun one week before Pearl Harbor, or if even knowledge of the full horrors of Auschwitz and other concentration camps would have been enough to rouse peaceniks to pull their heads from out of the sand.....

[spodefly]

The gutless, self-righteous, morally bankrupt socialists and appeasers will never get it. Even if a nuke had gone off in NYC with Saddam's army as the delivery vehicle, they would still criticise the US and still appease Saddam.

We are going to have to go at it without the UN if we are going to handle Iraq and the DPRK.

The UN is the League of Nations redux. Actually worse. Having Libya chair the Human Rights panel and Iraq chair the Disarmament panel is beyond theater of the absurd. I pray the UN dissolves into the wastebin of history asap.

[hellinahandcart]

You got the feeling that if they could have dragged out their expressions of condolences regarding the space shuttle for the full seven minutes, they'd have been happy to do so.

Oh, that made me madder than anything, those expressions of condolence. Followed by a stab in the back.

"We grieve with you over the tragic deaths of your seven astronauts. However, it is my country's position that with regard to Iraq, we should continue to sit here with our heads up our butts pretending that the inspections will 'work' if we all just harumph loudly enough, and we really don't give a rat's ass if seven hundred, seven thousand, or seven million of you Americans are killed as a result."

I watched those speeches until my "F*** You" list was longer than my arm, and then I had to shut the TV off.

[baseballmom]

I pray the UN dissolves into the wastebin of history asap.

But...But.. Then these "diplomats" would have to go back to their own cesspools of countries and actually LIVE there. No more limos, no more glittering cocktail parties and dinners, no more penthouse apartments on the upper east or west side !!! Oh, the humanity.

[dead]

My favorite was the Chinese response. It was clearly written a couple of weeks ago, trivializing their position entirely.

If we ask for a UN resolution before going in, China will abstain. That's all they intend to do.

As long as people buy their two dollar trinkets, they have no interest in who kills who.

[CyberAnt]

When these people do that, I can't decide if they question us because they knew x42 was lying so they just assume we are too, or they are just saying that because they are hateful and stupid.

[NYTexan]

"I watched those speeches until my "F*** You" list was longer than my arm"

Young lady, if you would like to work off some of that, next time your at the other end of of the state I'll take ya to the target range if that helps! works for me!

[patricia]

BTTT

[JohnHuang2]

Thanks for the Steyn ping, friend =^)

[JohnHuang2]

Mark Steyn Mega Ping!!

[chnsmok]

axisofweasels.com

There is a pop up with sound.

[Clive]

"Mark Steyn Mega Ping!!"

Agreed.

As the new owners of the National Post gradually replace the conservatives in their columnist cadre, I hope that Steyne finds a billet with Sun Media.

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the heads up!

[Travis McGee]

Only UNamericans put the UN ahead of America.

[JohnHuang2]

Welcome =^)