Thursday, February 13, 2003

An interesting discussion on Adam Curry's comments section triggered some more thinking about my previous post. I'm reposting my comment below: People on both sides of the argument have stopped listening to each other and listening to the truth. Regardless of what evidence comes out of the weapons inspections, does anyone honestly think that either the US/pro-war camp or the German/French/Russian/anti-war camp will change its position? I see no evidence that either side is willing to change its position under ANY circumstances. Listen, I am certainly no fan of the Bush administration. Its blatant disregard for the rule of law at any level, coupled with its foreign policy blunders, which have turned concerns into crises and allies into opponents, are far worse than Bill Clinton's so-called "impeachable offense." But if we reject the evidence they have presented simply because we don't like the messenger, then we risk ceding our moral responsibility to the world. War may not be the best option against Mr. Hussein, but there certainly is enough evidence out there to consider something stronger than "lets play the inspections game for a few more years."   1:47:13 PM

Iraqi missile find raises tensions. Fresh splits emerge within the UN Security Council over the significance of an Iraqi missile as Nato calls off emergency talks to discuss the crisis. [BBC News] This is yet another example of how no one involved in the Iraq debate is interested in the truth. It appears that no matter what evidence is uncovered, the US will claim that it "proves Iraqi noncompliance" and the French, Germans, and Russians will claim that it "proves Iraqi cooperation." The inspectors could stumble upon Iraqis removing a nuclear warhead prior to inspection and the French, Germans, and Russians would claim it as proof that the "inspections are working." On the other hand, the Iraqis could give a detailed account of how they have destroyed all of their weapons, the inspectors could confirm the claim, and the US would still call for war. Benjamin Disraeli, later echoed by Mark Twain, said that "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damn lies, and statistics." Perhaps now that should be changed to "lies, damn lies, and weapons inspections."   11:04:52 AM