Which kind of America will win more respect in the world -- one that uses its power recklessly, against the advice of key allies, or one that shapes a broad consensus, builds international institutions and contains threats without needless and destabilizing warsLast weekend, Nebraska Senator, Chuck Hagel, compared Iraq to Vietnam. Senator Hagel said we are "bogged down" in Iraq, and that the situation there was "not dissimilar" to quagmire the US found itself in during the Vietnam conflict. He also pointed out that our continued presence in Iraq jeopardized ...view middle of the document...
S. wants to control Iraqi oil.'There is no evidence justifying a war. The Bush administration has claimed to have it but they have not produced it - either to make their case to the American public or (as far as we know) to guide U.N. arms inspectors who have asked for it. Only this week (Jan. 14) did chief U.N. inspector Hans Blix announce that some materials "from several sources" have become availableThere is no identifiable connection between Al-Qaeda and Saddam HusseinIf Saddam were to possess weapons of mass destruction, a war on Iraq might make him more, not less, likely to use them in desperation in the twilight of a dying regime - a conclusion of Can Saddam Be Contained? History Says Yes, by John J. Mearsheimer and Stephen M. WaltWhile Bush chases Saddam, who is chasing Osama?Regime change? We have no right. Saddam is a vicious tyrant, but nobody elected us sheriff of the world. It is not our right to depose or assassinate leaders of other countries, and it's not a good precedent to propose.In the worst case, Iraq badly damages other oilfields. Production drops by at least 5 million barrels a day, out of a total global consumption of 77 million barrels a day. Oil prices hit $80 a barrel... In the worst case [unemployment] goes to 7.5 percent.
