From today's NY Times Op-Ed page
"A Mission Imperiled
Terrorists aim not just at inflicting death and devastation. They also hope to poison the emotional and political climate around their targets. Tragically, the truck bombers who blew up the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad yesterday have already succeeded on the first score, killing the chief U.N. representative in Iraq and at least 16 others, and disrupting desperately needed international relief efforts. They must not be allowed the second triumph, further deepening the psychological chasm between reconstruction efforts and Iraqi civilians.
The Bush administration has to commit sufficient additional resources, and, if necessary, additional troops, to prevent that. Iraqis need to see that Washington has the will and the means to get their country back on its feet. American soldiers cannot be left fearing so much for their own safety that they start treating all Iraqis as potential enemies. And international relief agencies must not be frightened away from what is now the most important American foreign policy endeavor.
Yesterday's attack, the worst in U.N. history, was another sign that surly, chaotic postwar Iraq is becoming a magnet for terrorists. That is yet another consequence of the Iraq war that the Bush administration failed to anticipate, like the uncontrolled postwar looting, the delays in restoring water and electricity, the ambushes of American soldiers and the sabotage of infrastructure.
The upsurge of terrorism, which began earlier this month with the deadly bombing of Jordan's embassy in Baghdad, is all the more alarming because the list of potential targets seems almost limitless. As things now stand, any public building not fully surrounded by a fortified, patrolled concrete perimeter appears vulnerable.
So far, the identity of the terrorists, the resources available to them and their geographic reach all remain unknown. These attacks appear to reflect more than spontaneous local discontent or the rear-guard efforts of fugitive former Baathist officials. There have been reports of radical Islamists infiltrating into Iraq from Iran and Saudi Arabia.
What seems clear is that those carrying out the attacks are organized and seek to thwart relief and recovery efforts. They seem intent on fanning hostility to American occupation authorities by prolonging the misery of ordinary Iraqis. Targeting the U.N. is especially chilling because it conveys a message to international organizations that they are not safe. Washington cannot let this message sink in.
To prevent that, the administration will have to radically rethink its approach to postwar Iraq. Unrealistically optimistic assumptions have led the White House to severely underestimate troop and spending requirements and wrongly dismiss the need for more international help through the U.N.
More must be done to reestablish security for Iraqis, aid workers and American troops, without creating a bunker mentality that walls foreigners off from the Iraqi population. Washington needs to accelerate its efforts to restore vital services and normal economic life. The administration should also drop its ideological resistance to a larger U.N. role in Iraq ? and prevail on the U.N. to maintain its presence, despite the terrible bloodshed."
What the hell has Bush gotten us into? The UN should demand Bush resign and leave the US, just as Bush demanded of Hussein in Iraq. We need regime change right here in the USA. That should be the price of UN and world assistance to clean up the mess Bush and Blair made. Correction, the mess they made after lying to us all. For those who disagree quotes from Bush are below. Anyone who can't recognize these statements as lies shouldn't be lecturing anyone on religion or morals.
George Bush:
"Right now, Iraq is expanding and improving facilities that were used for the production of biological weapons."
United Nations Address
September 12, 2002
"Iraq has stockpiled biological and chemical weapons, and is rebuilding the facilities used to make more of those weapons."
"We have sources that tell us that Saddam Hussein recently authorized Iraqi field commanders to use chemical weapons -- the very weapons the dictator tells us he does not have."
Radio Address
October 5, 2002
"The Iraqi regime . . . possesses and produces chemical and biological weapons. It is seeking nuclear weapons."
"We know that the regime has produced thousands of tons of chemical agents, including mustard gas, sarin nerve gas, VX nerve gas."
"We've also discovered through intelligence that Iraq has a growing fleet of manned and unmanned aerial vehicles that could be used to disperse chemical or biological weapons across broad areas. We're concerned that Iraq is exploring ways of using these UAVS for missions targeting the United States."
"The evidence indicates that Iraq is reconstituting its nuclear weapons program. Saddam Hussein has held numerous meetings with Iraqi nuclear scientists, a group he calls his "nuclear mujahideen" - his nuclear holy warriors. Satellite photographs reveal that Iraq is rebuilding facilities at sites that have been part of its nuclear program in the past. Iraq has attempted to purchase high-strength aluminum tubes and other equipment needed for gas centrifuges, which are used to enrich uranium for nuclear weapons."
Cincinnati, Ohio Speech
October 7, 2002
"Our intelligence officials estimate that Saddam Hussein had the materials to produce as much as 500 tons of sarin, mustard and VX nerve agent."
State of the Union Address
January 28, 2003
"Intelligence gathered by this and other governments leaves no doubt that the Iraq regime continues to possess and conceal some of the most lethal weapons ever devised."
Address to the Nation
March 17, 2003
"A Mission Imperiled
Terrorists aim not just at inflicting death and devastation. They also hope to poison the emotional and political climate around their targets. Tragically, the truck bombers who blew up the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad yesterday have already succeeded on the first score, killing the chief U.N. representative in Iraq and at least 16 others, and disrupting desperately needed international relief efforts. They must not be allowed the second triumph, further deepening the psychological chasm between reconstruction efforts and Iraqi civilians.
The Bush administration has to commit sufficient additional resources, and, if necessary, additional troops, to prevent that. Iraqis need to see that Washington has the will and the means to get their country back on its feet. American soldiers cannot be left fearing so much for their own safety that they start treating all Iraqis as potential enemies. And international relief agencies must not be frightened away from what is now the most important American foreign policy endeavor.
Yesterday's attack, the worst in U.N. history, was another sign that surly, chaotic postwar Iraq is becoming a magnet for terrorists. That is yet another consequence of the Iraq war that the Bush administration failed to anticipate, like the uncontrolled postwar looting, the delays in restoring water and electricity, the ambushes of American soldiers and the sabotage of infrastructure.
The upsurge of terrorism, which began earlier this month with the deadly bombing of Jordan's embassy in Baghdad, is all the more alarming because the list of potential targets seems almost limitless. As things now stand, any public building not fully surrounded by a fortified, patrolled concrete perimeter appears vulnerable.
So far, the identity of the terrorists, the resources available to them and their geographic reach all remain unknown. These attacks appear to reflect more than spontaneous local discontent or the rear-guard efforts of fugitive former Baathist officials. There have been reports of radical Islamists infiltrating into Iraq from Iran and Saudi Arabia.
What seems clear is that those carrying out the attacks are organized and seek to thwart relief and recovery efforts. They seem intent on fanning hostility to American occupation authorities by prolonging the misery of ordinary Iraqis. Targeting the U.N. is especially chilling because it conveys a message to international organizations that they are not safe. Washington cannot let this message sink in.
To prevent that, the administration will have to radically rethink its approach to postwar Iraq. Unrealistically optimistic assumptions have led the White House to severely underestimate troop and spending requirements and wrongly dismiss the need for more international help through the U.N.
More must be done to reestablish security for Iraqis, aid workers and American troops, without creating a bunker mentality that walls foreigners off from the Iraqi population. Washington needs to accelerate its efforts to restore vital services and normal economic life. The administration should also drop its ideological resistance to a larger U.N. role in Iraq ? and prevail on the U.N. to maintain its presence, despite the terrible bloodshed."
What the hell has Bush gotten us into? The UN should demand Bush resign and leave the US, just as Bush demanded of Hussein in Iraq. We need regime change right here in the USA. That should be the price of UN and world assistance to clean up the mess Bush and Blair made. Correction, the mess they made after lying to us all. For those who disagree quotes from Bush are below. Anyone who can't recognize these statements as lies shouldn't be lecturing anyone on religion or morals.
George Bush:
"Right now, Iraq is expanding and improving facilities that were used for the production of biological weapons."
United Nations Address
September 12, 2002
"Iraq has stockpiled biological and chemical weapons, and is rebuilding the facilities used to make more of those weapons."
"We have sources that tell us that Saddam Hussein recently authorized Iraqi field commanders to use chemical weapons -- the very weapons the dictator tells us he does not have."
Radio Address
October 5, 2002
"The Iraqi regime . . . possesses and produces chemical and biological weapons. It is seeking nuclear weapons."
"We know that the regime has produced thousands of tons of chemical agents, including mustard gas, sarin nerve gas, VX nerve gas."
"We've also discovered through intelligence that Iraq has a growing fleet of manned and unmanned aerial vehicles that could be used to disperse chemical or biological weapons across broad areas. We're concerned that Iraq is exploring ways of using these UAVS for missions targeting the United States."
"The evidence indicates that Iraq is reconstituting its nuclear weapons program. Saddam Hussein has held numerous meetings with Iraqi nuclear scientists, a group he calls his "nuclear mujahideen" - his nuclear holy warriors. Satellite photographs reveal that Iraq is rebuilding facilities at sites that have been part of its nuclear program in the past. Iraq has attempted to purchase high-strength aluminum tubes and other equipment needed for gas centrifuges, which are used to enrich uranium for nuclear weapons."
Cincinnati, Ohio Speech
October 7, 2002
"Our intelligence officials estimate that Saddam Hussein had the materials to produce as much as 500 tons of sarin, mustard and VX nerve agent."
State of the Union Address
January 28, 2003
"Intelligence gathered by this and other governments leaves no doubt that the Iraq regime continues to possess and conceal some of the most lethal weapons ever devised."
Address to the Nation
March 17, 2003
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