link
Despite desperate attempts by President Bush's critics to spin things their way, Friday's stunning announcement that Libyan dictator Moammar Khadafy has agreed to abandon his weapons of mass destruction programs is a remarkable vindication of the Bush Doctrine.
After nine months of secret talks, Khadafy admitted what he'd long denied: Libya has actively pursued nuclear and other mass-destruction weapons - and his nuclear program was more advanced than had been suspected.
He not only renounced such weapons and agreed to their destruction, he invited inspectors into his country to verify compliance; the first checks of Libyan nuclear sites by the International Atomic Energy Agency could begin next week.
The timing of Khadafy's conversion is worth noting: It began in March, just as the U.S.-led Coalition was poised to invade Iraq to finally enforce U.N. resolutions demanding verified disarmament.
And it was initiated not by Washington but by Khadafy - who clearly appreciated, even as Saddam Hussein did not, that Bush does not make idle threats.
Also worth noting: Khadafy did not approach the appeasement-minded United Nations or European Union with an offer to negotiate.
He went directly to the United States and Great Britain.
Yes, intense diplomacy produced this striking result - but only when accompanied by a genuine incentive in the form of an international campaign against terror-sponsoring regimes.
The carrot, in other words, only worked when used along with a stick.
Clearly, these talks were a major factor in the administration's willingness to let Khadafy buy his way out of being held fully responsible for the 1988 bombing of Pan Am 103 over Lockerbie.
At the time, the deal seemed like nothing less than rewarding terror. Whether it was the right move remains to be seen: Khadafy must accompany his new-found openness on WMDs with similar moves on terrorism.
That means not just renouncing terrorism or halting any links to terrorist groups. It means actively aiding the U.S.-led War on Terrorism by disclosing everything he and his government know about the international terrorist menace.
Then - and only then - might Khadafy be able to stake a claim to joining the international community and justify a complete end of economic sanctions.
Still, the Khadafy development is just the latest in a series of foreign-policy successes achieved by the president.
Last month, Iran agreed to stop enriching uranium, which provides the basic fuel of nuclear weapons. The deal will be hard to enforce, but it's still the first time the mullahs have ever voluntary committed to curbing their troubling nuclear program.
The cooling of tensions between nuclear powers India and Pakistan - and the willingness of the international community to aid the rebuilding of Iraq - represent more significant triumphs.
So.
Does Howard Dean really believe that the America is not safer today because of Bush administration foreign policy?
If the answer is yes, he's either naive in the extreme - or just plain loopy.
Either way, it speaks volumes about his fitness for the presidency.
That said, however, this week's heightened terrorist alert is a sobering reminder that "safer" doesn't mean "safe" - and that the War on Terror remains a long, hard battle that is going to be with us for far longer than any of us would like.
America is not out of the woods yet.
But, as Khadafy's dramatic announcement suggests, the good guys are most definitely winning.
Despite desperate attempts by President Bush's critics to spin things their way, Friday's stunning announcement that Libyan dictator Moammar Khadafy has agreed to abandon his weapons of mass destruction programs is a remarkable vindication of the Bush Doctrine.
After nine months of secret talks, Khadafy admitted what he'd long denied: Libya has actively pursued nuclear and other mass-destruction weapons - and his nuclear program was more advanced than had been suspected.
He not only renounced such weapons and agreed to their destruction, he invited inspectors into his country to verify compliance; the first checks of Libyan nuclear sites by the International Atomic Energy Agency could begin next week.
The timing of Khadafy's conversion is worth noting: It began in March, just as the U.S.-led Coalition was poised to invade Iraq to finally enforce U.N. resolutions demanding verified disarmament.
And it was initiated not by Washington but by Khadafy - who clearly appreciated, even as Saddam Hussein did not, that Bush does not make idle threats.
Also worth noting: Khadafy did not approach the appeasement-minded United Nations or European Union with an offer to negotiate.
He went directly to the United States and Great Britain.
Yes, intense diplomacy produced this striking result - but only when accompanied by a genuine incentive in the form of an international campaign against terror-sponsoring regimes.
The carrot, in other words, only worked when used along with a stick.
Clearly, these talks were a major factor in the administration's willingness to let Khadafy buy his way out of being held fully responsible for the 1988 bombing of Pan Am 103 over Lockerbie.
At the time, the deal seemed like nothing less than rewarding terror. Whether it was the right move remains to be seen: Khadafy must accompany his new-found openness on WMDs with similar moves on terrorism.
That means not just renouncing terrorism or halting any links to terrorist groups. It means actively aiding the U.S.-led War on Terrorism by disclosing everything he and his government know about the international terrorist menace.
Then - and only then - might Khadafy be able to stake a claim to joining the international community and justify a complete end of economic sanctions.
Still, the Khadafy development is just the latest in a series of foreign-policy successes achieved by the president.
Last month, Iran agreed to stop enriching uranium, which provides the basic fuel of nuclear weapons. The deal will be hard to enforce, but it's still the first time the mullahs have ever voluntary committed to curbing their troubling nuclear program.
The cooling of tensions between nuclear powers India and Pakistan - and the willingness of the international community to aid the rebuilding of Iraq - represent more significant triumphs.
So.
Does Howard Dean really believe that the America is not safer today because of Bush administration foreign policy?
If the answer is yes, he's either naive in the extreme - or just plain loopy.
Either way, it speaks volumes about his fitness for the presidency.
That said, however, this week's heightened terrorist alert is a sobering reminder that "safer" doesn't mean "safe" - and that the War on Terror remains a long, hard battle that is going to be with us for far longer than any of us would like.
America is not out of the woods yet.
But, as Khadafy's dramatic announcement suggests, the good guys are most definitely winning.
Facebook
Twitter