“How Bush succeeded in deflecting the US’s anger from Bin Laden to Saddam Hussein is one of the great public relations conjuring tricks of history.”

A British journalist named John Le Carré wrote a thought provoking article titled “The Madness of King George” and stated that the US has entered one of its periods of historical madness, but this is the worst he can remember. He said the US citizens’ domestic rights and freedoms are being systematically eroded. The combination of compliant US media and vested corporate interests are ensuring that the US public is being kept in a permanent state of ignorance and fear, with a consequent dependence upon its leadership. He said, “How Bush succeeded in deflecting the US’s anger from Bin Laden to Saddam Hussein is one of the great public relations conjuring tricks of history.”
Le Carré said Bush is not telling the US people the truth about why we are going to war. What is at stake is not an Axis of Evil but oil, money and people’s lives. Saddam’s misfortune is to sit on the second largest oilfield in the world. Iran, next door, may have the world’s largest repositories of natural gas. Bush wants both. Le Carré points out that the previous work histories of the three top US leaders shows their real values and where they’ve placed their energy. George Bush, Dick Cheney and Condoleezza Rice were all senior executives for oil companies for many years.
In reality, Le Carré suspects Baghdad represents no clear and present danger. What’s at stake is the economic imperative of US growth.
Le Carré’s article got me thinking about my own concerns. I find Bush’s tough talk offensive and don’t think he’s being fair identifying the enemy with evil, and himself with good. I’m not surprised his arrogance has earned him the name the “Toxic Texan” in US diplomatic circles in Europe. Since Bush is not known for his introspection does he really know the real reason that he wants to go to war? The argument is that Saddam has defied the UN: therefore the US must punish him. And not just with sanctions or diplomatic pressure but with war. A pre-emptive war is justified, as it will prevent future wars. However, many of us are concerned that Bush’s real reasons are more personal. Bush said of Saddam, “this is the guy who tried to kill my dad.” Bush’s statement personalized the war. The other unspoken reason is economic—Saddam has oil. It seems to me Bush is running the US like it was an oil company.
If the US kills Saddam, the Moslem fanatics will hold Saddam up as a martyr and terrorism against America and the world will increase.
We are risking our troop’s lives on Saddam while fighting El Qaeda takes a back seat. Neighboring countries have spawned far more terrorists. By going to war with Iraq the US will further estrange their relationship the rest of the world.
Any war for which a case has to be built is a war that can be avoided.
Wars tend to lead to more wars and the losers are largely the innocent.

Niki Collins-Queen is the author of “Earth, the Forgotten Temple: A Spirit Quest in the Wilderness.” She lives in Forsyth, GA.