[Destro]

No more pep rallies, no more self delsions. We are Republicans and thus realists. The Bush administrations diplomatic efforts on gaining U.N. support (i.e. a U.N. fig leaf for war) have been a failure. That's what Bush gets for listening to a socialist sc*m like Blair who has ruined England, helped ruin the Balkans and now has ruined us.

[whadizit]

He may be a socialist, but he is certainly brave, a brave socialist. There are very few of them, for sure.

Getting 1441 was a pretty good move, but everything thereafter was totally unnecessary. I heard that Powell had convinced GW that he could get the votes for the 2nd resolution. So, I do not think I would point my middle finger at Blair.

[Pukka Puck]

Dick Cheney and Rumsfeld were right and Powell was wrong.

[Jim Robinson]

Bush is not the guy making the mistakes. Saddam made a huge miscalculation. France (and the UN) made a bizarre decision, turning their backs on the U.S. to back terrorism. Screw France. Screw the UN. The bombing starts in five days. The UN is hereby and forthwith totally irrelevant. God Bless America!

[Democratshavenobrains]

If any good has come from this pointless UN exercise, it has shown the American public and alot of the world how useless the UN is and especially how much Germany and France show no graditude for all that we have done for them.

[Consort]

No mistake, just a protracted schedule. In the meantime, the Democrats, the UN, France, Germany, the Dixie Chicks....showed their true colors for all to see. They will lose along with Saddam.

[Hugin]

You sure are gloomy, and disrespectful to an ally who has put his own career on the line to back us up. Blair may be a socialist, but he's been true to his word. In no way re we "ruined". If anything this BS with the UN, frustrating as it is, has served the purpose of conivincing the American people just how worthless that institution is. A few weeks ago the majority of Americans did not support going to war without UN approval. Now 71% of them do, and 80% say the US not the UN should decide the issue. So in that way Blair may have done us a favor.

In any case, we are going in a few days, and in the end the delay won't have changed the result. Saddam will be gone, and we will occupy Bagdhad.

[Mark Hamilton]

Bushs real mistake was in listening to Colin Powell and the state department. They proffered the absurd advice that the US should depend on the UN for legitimization of our foriegn policy.

After the war is over, I hope Bush sacks Powell. Then the President should get a Secretary of State with more backbone.

[MJY1288]

As much as I would like to find a scapegoat for the current situation that has us trying to gain the support of the U.N. to enforce resolutions that the U.N. created to begin with, I can't.......Tony Blair could have taken the path of least resistance and followed the opinion Polls and buried his head in the sand, much like the Chiraq and Schroeder did after Resolution 1441 was ignored by Saddam.

My hat is off to Tony Blair for taking a principled stand, and I appreciate the fact that George W. Bush was willing to spend political capitol on Tony Blair and others as he agreed to try and get another reolution that sanctioned War against Saddam if he didn't disarm.

The way I see this ending up .... is that at the end of the day we will find the WMD's and the torture chambers and everything else Saddam said he didn't have, and those who threatened to veto the resolution that would help Tony Blair and others will have egg all over their faces.

Tony Blair might be from the liberal Labour Party, But he has more "Chalupa's" than any liberal Democrat in this country and I say we could use a few people like Blair among the useless liberals we have in this country.

I would trade Lincoln Chafee, John McCain or a host of other leftist republicans for Tony Blair any day of the week

[Torie]

I don't think the stakes are quite so high as the author suggests. Every situation is different, and the underlying power of the various nations, and their various interests, are a constant. Neither outcome the author suggests is likely to obtain. It will be much messier than that, because people are messy, and thus the planet.

[Scott from the Left Coast]

Of interest...ping

[Mihalis]

George's biggest mistake was to listen to Colin.

Colin Powell screwed up in 1992 by letting Saddam off the hook. And he screws up again.

Don't come down on Tony Blair. He's been an amazing ally, one of the best we've ever had. He acted against domestic public opinion and put his political career at high risk. We can't afford to lose friends like him.

[Consort]

Rumsfeld and Powell are two different sides of the same coin and each have to fill their assigned role. Rumsfeld is the hawk and Powell is the dove as it must be. Both have their supporters and both have to do their parts at the same time.

[jwalsh07]

I don't disagree with her analysis of the why's and wherefore's but I disagree with her conclusions.

The UN is neutered, it has been shown to be useless and the American people have caught on.

This development is a wonderful thing.

[paul51]

the diplomatic events of the past week will go down in history as the most embarassing for the United States and Britain in a long time. Despite cajoling and bribery and flattery, Colin Powell and Jack Straw have found it nearly impossible to persuade the UN Security Council of the necessity of deposing Saddam Hussein by military force.

Oh please. In the final analysis, who cares?

[Lancey Howard]

If it were not for that, the inspections could just continue for a few more months, until all of the members of the Security Council had been shamed into admitting that the process had degenerated into farce.

Except how can something which has been a farce all along degenerate into farce?

[CyberAnt]

I don't agree Bush was a failure. What it was was an exercise in exposing the failure of the UN to be accountable for its word. Res. 1441 is a worthless piece of paper to the UN - but not to the "coalition of the willing".

This has been painful to watch, but so necessary. We needed this time to get our military ready ... and ready they are. Now that the military is ready, we have no reason to fool with the UN.

Also ... please understand Tony Blair is a friend, and Bush takes loyalty seriously. And ... don't forget that one of Tony's chief adversaries in his govt just happened to go to Iraq and see for herself. She was overwhelmed and dissolved to tears. She came back to the UK in total support of Tony and totally turned the tide toward the war.

I don't think any of this has been a waste of time!

[bart99]

"If it were not for that, the inspections could just continue for a few more months, until all of the members of the Security Council had been shamed into admitting that the process had degenerated into farce. There would then be no need for a second resolution, no reason for Mr Bush and Mr Blair to humiliate themselves begging the Security Council members for their support."


Come on...... the last inspections regime lasted for 6 years and they were kicked out after finding some really significant stuff. Since we are now being threatened with chemical and biological terror weapons and Iraq is a primary supporter of terroists, we weren't going to wait for years. I think that 4 or 5 months ws enough to see whether Saddam would disarm or not.

[right way right]

I can not speak for your Scottish point of view about Blair but , over here the effect of neutering the U.N is really nothing but positive in many Americans opinions.
Blix actually led Saddam to victory over the U.N.
(Dumbass Blix)
Now we don't have to leave it, it has become irrevalent.
I for one do not believe that the U.N. actually will go away we will just keep it around like a bad dog to kick when it gets in the way.
Sorry Dog lovers.

[Right_in_Virginia]

"...a decision taken by President George W Bush partly to mollify his friend Tony Blair - has been utterly disastrous>>>"

This is not true.

If President Bush has chosen to help a trusted and valued ally ~~~ it simply proves an honorable man in the Oval Office can be counted on to respect the needs of a true friend.

And, offers further proof that the UN is not needed.

[Contra]

The UN ploy was useful. First, it was only used to build up the troops to sufficient levels. And second, it has shown the world (but most importantly, U.S. citizens) just how useless the UN is. Now the U.S. can pull out of the UN and then kick their worthless a$$es out of the U.S. for good. Once the war starts all this foot dragging will be forgotten, a non-issue. Once again, the President was masterful, using the UN and then discarding it, like a cheap French whore. Kind of reminds one of Bill Clinton.