Ask Auntie Pinko
February 27, 2003

Dear Auntie Pinko,

How can I answer the question posed to me by my right-wing brother, who asked me what the peaceful solution is to the Iraq situation? I've already told him that we need to give the inspectors more time to do their work but his response is that the inspectors will never find everything. More time only gets Saddam closer to the nuclear weapons he obsesses over and will make a dangerous situation even worse. More time also brings us closer to the summer when our troops would be hard pressed to deal with protective gear in the event of a chemical or biological attack.

Dave
West Bend, WI

Dear Dave,

What are your views? In spite of telling your brother that the inspectors should be given more time to work, do you also believe that this will make things worse? Do you feel that the involvement of American men and women in ground combat is so inevitable, and so imminent, that the logistics of summer must be a decisive factor? If so, it sounds like you are probably in fundamental agreement with your brother that there is no real "peaceful" solution to the Iraq situation. Quit arguing and go have a beer together. Brothers should get along, once they've outgrown adolescence. After all, you have more in common than just your lack of ability to visualize a non-military resolution in Iraq.

Or are you, like so many millions of Americans, profoundly uneasy about the notion of military intervention in Iraq, but uncertain of what the alternatives might be? If so, Auntie Pinko can hardly blame you, since the media have done such a wonderful job of inflating the discussion with chaos, hysteria, jingoism, irrelevance, and sensationalism.

However, as far as a resolution to the Iraq situation, I personally believe we need look no further than Mr. Bush's own policy choices for answers. He, and his administration, have actually done quite an excellent job of demonstrating exactly how the U.S. can respond to a brutal, tyrannical bully striving to arm himself with weapons of mass destruction.

I refer, of course, to North Korea, where Mr. Bush's State Department is working with steady determination to bring Mr. Kim's regional neighbors into the process. Where they have stated clearly that any solution must involve the nations most closely menaced by this particular tyrannical bully.

In the case of Mr. Kim, who has shown not only his determination to build a nuclear arsenal, but also the ability to deliver warheads to American territory, Mr. Bush's government is showing an admirably calm and statesmanlike commitment to multilateralism. They are demonstrating a truly commendable patience and restraint - a willingness to hold out for the definitive, long-term solution, rather than a rush to meet short-term goals. If Mr. Bush's government were treating Mr. Hussein precisely as they are treating Mr. Kim, Auntie Pinko would sleep soundly and contentedly.

And if your brother is a right-winger who strongly supports Mr. Bush (as many do) this will give the two of you one more thing in common. Perhaps when enjoying a beer (or a latte, if that's your preference) together, you can toast a little toast to Auntie Pinko, who appreciates your question!

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