War with Iraq? Commentators

Commentators, American and foreign, have divergent views on war with Iraq, and those who disagree with them, including some WAISers, are displeased, angry or even unWAISly irate. As a sample, let us take two opponents of war. One is Norman Solomon, San Francisco based executive director of the Institute for Public Accuracy. He is excellent: intelligent, well informed, and incisive. He also exemplifies the variety of opinions among American Jews. Some, including very prominent ones, are strongly pro-war. Not Norman Solomon. He criticizes US selective criticism of Middle East countries. He quotes an Australian former arms inspector who asked what he could answer when Saddam Hussein said that Israel has 200 nuclear weapons pointed at Iraq, but Iraq is accused of hiding weapons it says it does not have. (Is the number 200 just a guess?). Israel, Morocco and Turkey have all defied UN resolutions, but Iraq is singled out. The website of the Institute for Public Accuracy is www.accuracy.org.

Pathetic is the best word to describe the performance of the veteran British Labour Party member, Tony Benn. He seems almost gaga. He went to Baghdad, possibly at Saddam Hussein's expense, and asked him about the issues Colin Powell had raised in his UN speech. Saddam, who seemed singularly unmoved by the crisis of which he is the center and the cause, gave the expected answers. It looked like a ploy to strengthen the opposition to war in the UK, especially among members of Tony Benn's own Labour Party.

Ronald Hilton - 2/7/03