E-MAIL THIS LINK
To: 

18 Years Ago Today: NY Times Calls for US to Overthrow Saddam Hussien
H/T Weasel Zipper

On My Mind; The Way Out
By A. M. ROSENTHAL
Published: Tuesday, April 23, 1991

The way exists yet for President Bush to escape from the political and moral trap into which he has thrust himself. But he cannot find it in meetings of the National Security Council or in phone calls to foreign leaders.

It is right there in the Oval Office, within him, a few words waiting to be uttered first to himself, then to his countrymen.

"I made a serious error. It is my duty to rectify it. I will do so."

He would be saying exactly what everybody knows. The mistake lives, stares at him and must disturb his soul, as it would any decent person's.

Two months after a brilliant military campaign ended in victory, Mr. Bush has achieved the worst of worlds for millions of Iraqi rebels and for American policy in the Mideast.

In numbers and pain the mind can barely encompass, Iraqi rebels he encouraged to rise up have taken their wives and children and fled to starvation and death rather than face death at the hands of the killer whom the coalition conquered.

Now they are being coaxed, herded off the mountains, to be placed in refugee pens. For how long? Years, possibly; decades conceivably.

I speak to their representatives, Kurdish leaders, in New York and Washington, London, other cities. They are people of dignity. They can no longer bear the thought and sight of their relatives rooting and fighting for bread, a cup of water.

So they are being forced to dicker with the killer, who speaks softly to them. He beckons, because now he sees them as useful in their defeat. If he can wheedle them back, maybe the embargo will be lifted, maybe he will soon be acceptable again, maybe even to the U.S. Didn't Washington embrace him before, as he killed?

The Kurds say maybe he will agree to a new government, with the U.N. sharing power, maybe. Free elections some day maybe. Would Saddam Hussein honor such an agreement when the world turned its attention away? Over the phone, their voices shrug -- they have been betrayed by America; what is left but another betrayal by the butcher?

For the U.S., Mr. Bush has achieved the herder's role. American troops are going back to Iraq, as Mr. Bush swore they would not. They are back for no gain to the rebels but some food and shelter.

For the U.S. the only gain will be conscience salve that need not have been necessary.
For peace in the Mideast -- disaster; there will be no peace as long as Saddam Hussein rules, and threatens to rise again.

Where have we heard that before? Oh yea, Bush 43 -- maybe 43 read Mr. Rosenthal editorial and remembered his words, and made it happen. For peace in the Mid-East.
Mr. Bush made two mistakes. One was to end the war a few days too early, leaving the killer with tanks, planes and artillery to destroy the rebels. That is hindsight; perhaps Mr. Bush could not know what would happen.

But the second mistake was made looking straight at it -- the failure to order Saddam Hussein to cease his new war, against his own people.

When the U.S. gave him that order after the slaughter, he obeyed. He would have had no choice but to obey much earlier -- the day he started killing. But what to do now? Exactly what the U.S. could have done before: recognize the cease-fire as a false peace, present the Iraqi Army with an ultimatum -- to get rid of Saddam Hussein or the U.S. will resume the air attack on military targets and every high officer will be tried for war crimes.

With the killer gone, Iraqis can be left to their own political settlements. The only duty of the U.S. is to allow those who trusted us to return to their homes, free of terror.
"Free of terror" good words, good words, Mr. Rosenthal
But to do that, Mr. Bush must show true strength -- the ability to concede error, not only for the soul's sake, which is sufficient itself, but to act effectively.

Unless he does, he will find himself more and more tightly entwined in his own rationalizations, unable to cut free of his bonds because he will not admit they exist. Every adult knows that we waste our energies and talent when we try to justify the unjustifiable instead of setting ourselves and the record straight and getting on with life. In this, Presidents are no different than the rest of us.

The country would embrace Mr. Bush for his courage.
Yea, they have embraced Bush 43, so you are correct!
He would save its name and the chances of real peace. He would be able to give lasting succor to those who believed in him. The sweetest reward is that they would again.
Posted by: Sherry 2009-04-23
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=268298