Tacitus mentioned this yesterday in passing. I'll dive in for analysis.
Left-leaning media and politicians are joining the pro-dictatorship movement of street jesters and heads of state with their darling, Saddam, for a newly established position in the diplomatic war over terrorism, freedom and bondage. A retreat was necessary, of course, because half of the arguments denouncing military action to liberate Iraq have indisputably faltered; as a counter, the left has combined its talent for sniping with its lack of knowledge of warfare. Five days and shocking, televised Ba'athist brutality is all the substance they require to mount their next assault: predicting doom, disaster, quagmire, and malfeasance. When that succumbs to reality, they'll beg, bark and browbeat to shove the gaggle of dishonestly dissenting nations into Iraq's future.
All in good time. But be aware: these sources, throngs, personalities or the intellectually pedigree, have no integrity on the matter. For all of their scatterguns fired a hail of frights, surely to descend upon the first stroke of allied weaponry, none materialized as direct response to the engagement of liberation; and as we say in the lucid world, "Death always 'Comes in Threes'" when you haven't got a time limit." Their goal is to rely on grace and short memories, to slip their coils of false prophecy and pop One by one:
1. The Arab Street Will Rise up as Never Before. Parades, sky-shot gun salutes and flag-burnings are an all-too-common occurrence in the Near East. It's business as usual. Most pro-Arab reports are talking the demonstrations up; other reports hold that only Syria, with its state-sponsored parades, are collecting any appreciable crowds. Until a popular coup appears even remotely possible, this fear is unfounded.
2. An Offensive Will only Invite More Terrorism. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Back to the "Death Comes in Threes" analogy; al Qaeda and friends were well aware as to the offensive's logical beginning and cells are not inserted into target countries until ready to act at any time. If plans were made by al Qaeda to incur damage upon America in retaliation, it's unlikely that they're on a strict two-week delay.
As for terrorist recruitments, the idea that mass extinction of terrorists and sponsors would invite Muslims to become terrorists is psychologically flimsy, these institutions whose primary targets are those unable to defend themselves. Every terrorist, from Yasser Arafat to Osama bin Laden, has thrived in his years from diffuse and often altogether absent response from the West. Bin Laden himself has opined on numerous orations that America's fecklessness emboldened his operations. Angry, futureless young Arabs - would-be followers - join to direct their anger at readily available prey, not to catch cluster bomblets and 5.75mm bullet fragments in their spine. Like all cowards, terrorists will disband under steady heat.
3. Civilian Casualties Will Be Immense. Some humanitarian charlatans predicted 100,000; hands were wrung about thousands of cruise missiles to be lobbed at Ba'athist installations and Saddam's means to war and oppression. Not only were America's technological abilities doubted; her intentions were, too. Casualties remain, literally, at a historical low.
4. Refugees Will Stream from Iraq and Create a Crisis in Neighboring States. Jordon, Iran and Turkey: borders are ghost towns. Syria: they're too busy shipping weapons into Iraq to notice. Bottom line: no refugee crisis that anti-liberation voices were expecting, for one reason or another.
Anti-liberation hasn't been right about one aspect of this operation. They're sitting proudly on top of the "cakewalk" straw man today, but from no position of historical accuracy. It's only too well known that they invoked worries of strung-out failure - imagine! A new Vietnam to rally 'round - in both Kosovo and Afghanistan, only to be silenced soon after by victory.
Opponents of this operation aren't for want of volume, but for wisdom. They'll flit from complaint to complaint. Who's going to continue taking them seriously?
