Former Vice President Al Gore just endorsed anti-war candidate and former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean. Bad timing. But somehow, expect Gore to spin Saddam's capture his way. One can almost hear "Saturday Night Live" comedian Darrell Hammond imitating Gore: "Let me tell you about a friend of mine. They found him in a hole in Tikrit. He hadn't slept in the same bed in 10 months. Clearly in need of medical attention, he lived in soiled clothing, his hair covered with lice. As you can imagine, Saddam Hussein's prescription drug costs were sky-high. Under the Democratic plan, his medical care would be completely covered. Under the Republican plan, they'd arrest him and try him as a war criminal."
Dean recently urged a more "even-handed" approach in dealing with the Israeli-Palestinian dispute. Well, guess where the news of Hussein's capture produced some of the saddest faces -- Gaza and the West Bank. The capture of the dictator, who launched scud missiles at Israel, now cuts off the $25,000 payments to Palestinian families of "homicide" bombers.
Celebrity anti-war protestors like Mike Farrell supported President Clinton's war in Kosovo, waged for humanitarian purposes, despite Clinton's lack of a congressional or U.N. resolution. Clinton implied "tens of thousands" of lives lost, but later reports placed the number at less than 5,000. Meanwhile, murders under the Saddam Hussein regime range from 300,000 to perhaps a million! Yet the same military-for-humanitarian-purposes crowd denounces the Bush effort in Iraq. Consistency, anyone?
The War on Terror continues, for Iraq remains simply one of many fronts. Now, some Iraqis, previously reluctant to cooperate with the U.S.-led coalition for fear of a possible return of the Saddam regime, may now cooperate. The capture of Hussein also sends a message about our resolve to Osama bin Laden, and to terrorist-supporting governments like Syria and Iran.
We intend to stay in Iraq and assist in forming a representational government likely to produce stability and economic success for the Iraqi people. Such a government, amid a sea of repressive, unproductive totalitarianism, may well prove more infectious and threatening than any weapons of mass destruction. Democracy may be coming to a theater near you -- in the Middle East.