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Jewish World Review April 7, 2003 / 5 Nisan, 5763
Michael Ledeen
The Others: We have miles to go in eliminating the Axis
Our
diplomats didn't believe a word of it. After all, as Deputy Secretary
of State Richard Armitage said just a few weeks ago, "Iran is a democracy,"
and thus is qualitatively different from Iraq and North Korea. State has
been pursuing some sort of deal with the Iranian regime since the start
of the Bush administration, and didn't want to be bothered either
with the facts, or with those annoying presidential statements that branded
Iran a terror state governed by self-appointed religious fanatics. As
for Syria, Foggy Bottom has long considered the Assads as potential allies
(remember how Warren Christopher waited patiently on the runway in Damascus
during one of his "peace process" jaunts, only to be dissed? Remember
how Henry Kissinger once called Hafez Assad "the most fascinating leader
in the Middle East"?) and until a few days ago was working on a strategic
partnership.
But war has a way
of destroying the self-serving ambiguities of the diplomatic crowd, and
in recent days we have heard some pretty tough words from both the secretary
of state and the secretary of defense warning Syria and Iran to stop their
lethal support of Saddam Hussein's crumbling regime, lest we treat them
as hostile countries. Just as I have been
saying for these many frustrating months, we would find ourselves in a
regional conflict, whatever we wanted, and whatever fanciful ideas the
likes of Armitage and policy-planning chief Richard Haass conjured up
for their personal satisfaction. Now, Eli
Lake of UPI reports that the government is aware of Iranian terrorist
operations inside Iraq, and there have been many stories reporting Syria's
campaign to send terrorists across the border to attack us. In truth,
we didn't need intelligence to know this was going on, because the Iranian
and Syrian tyrants had announced it publicly. Assad gave an interview
recently in which he proclaimed in words that could have been taken
right out of my book that Lebanon was the model for the struggle
that had to be waged in Iraq against Coalition forces. And Iran's Supreme
Leader Ali Khamenei gave a speech a few weeks ago in which he said that
the presence of American troops in Iraq would be even worse for Iran than
the hated regime of Saddam Hussein. So they are coming
to kill us, which means that there is no more time for diplomatic "solutions."
We will have to deal with the terror masters, here and now. Iran, at least,
offers us the possibility of a memorable victory, because the Iranian
people openly loath the regime, and will enthusiastically combat it, if
only the United States supports them in their just struggle. One may legitimately
ask if the Iraqi people are fully prepared for the burdens of democracy
after the mind-numbing years of Saddam (I think they are, mind you, but
the question is fair), but there is no doubt that the Iranians are up
to it. And Syria cannot stand alone against a successful democratic revolution
that topples tyrannical regimes in Kabul, Tehran, and Iraq. This is the path
the correct path that the president has charted, despite
the opposition of so many of his diplomats, and despite the near-total
indifference of the Western press to the plight of the Iranian, Iraqi
and Syrian people. It is the path that most fully expresses our own revolutionary
tradition, and gives the peoples of the Middle East the chance to recapture
their dignity by empowering them to govern their own lands. Finally, for
those obsessed by the Arab-Israeli question, it is the best chance for
peace between the Israelis and Palestinians. President Bush has said that
he will not support a Palestinian state that is governed by people hostile
to democracy. Yet it is impossible for a democratic Palestine to emerge,
let alone survive, so long as the dominant countries in the region are
tyrannical supporters of terrorism. If, at long last,
we are going to transform the Middle East in the name of the democratic
revolution, it is madness to entrust this task to a Department of State
that clearly does not believe in it. State, and with it CIA, does not
believe that democracy can succeed in the Middle East. That is why they
have long supported a coup in Baghdad, rather than regime change. That
is why they have violently opposed the Iraqi National Congress, which
has fought for democracy for more than a decade, only to be repeatedly
betrayed and sabotaged by the United States government. Yet Congress, seemingly
unaware of the urgency of the moment and the years of blunders that contributed
so much to the current crisis, has now voted to put all the money earmarked
for the "reconstruction" of Iraq which is to say, the creation
of the post-war Iraqi polity and society entirely in the hands
of the Department of State. If this is permitted
to stand it will make the creation of Iraqi democracy even more difficult
than circumstances demand. The White House has said that it opposes this
centralization of authority in the hands of the State Department, and
it is likely that the president will veto the proposal, as he should.
But, like our appointed diplomats, our elected representatives need a
crash course in democratic revolution, the better to advance our cause,
defeat our enemies, and save the lives of our incredible fighting men
and women. We have written
an exceptional page of military history in Iraq, but it can be undone
by suicidal political blunders in the region in the very near future.
It's time to bring down the other terror masters. Faster, please.
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04/02/03: French Lies: Take the foreign minister at his word
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