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Editorials
Saturday, January 20, 2001Saddam Hussein
may pose challenge
for BushThe issue: Ten years after the start of Operation Desert Storm, Saddam Hussein is still in power in Iraq.
GEORGE W. Bush's presidential inauguration today follows closely the tenth anniversary -- last Wednesday -- of the launching of Operation Desert Storm, the assault ordered by his father to force Iraq out of Kuwait. Several of the key figures in that conflict -- the Iraqi dictator, Saddam Hussein and two major figures on the American side -- are still actively involved in policymaking.
Saddam has outlasted the elder Bush and now Bill Clinton. President Bush brings into office with him as secretary of state Colin Powell, who was chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the Gulf War, and Vice President Dick Cheney, who was secretary of defense at the time. Of course Bush's father is available for consultation.
Saddam Hussein's survival in the face of a decade of U.S. attempts to overthrow him is embarrassing enough to Washington. Despite the world community's efforts to restrain if not destroy him, his regime appears to be stronger than ever.
Saddam has defied the United Nations repeatedly. So far he has gotten away with it.
Two years ago Saddam forced out of Iraq the United Nations arms inspectors who had dismantled hundreds of tons of advanced weapons. There was scarcely a whimper of protest from the world community beyond a couple of ineffective U.S. bombing raids, more symbolic than damaging.
By offering trade concessions Saddam has succeeded in undermining the Operation Desert Storm coalition assembled by the first President Bush. The U.N. economic embargo has lost the support of three of the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council and many other countries. American peace activists recently delivered $150,000 in medical and educational supplies despite the ban on air travel to Iraq.
U.S. and British warplanes still patrol Iraqi "no fly" zones to protect rebel factions from attacks from Baghdad but other countries have become indifferent to the effort. It is questionable that American public opinion will continue to support the operation much longer. Many Americans may not even be aware that the patrols are still in operation.
General Powell recently denounced Saddam for failing to comply with U.N. disarmament requirements and vowed to "re-energize" U.S. policy on Iraq. Just what that means remains to be spelled out.
During Operation Desert Storm, Powell urged the elder President Bush to cut short the war when Iraqi forces were in retreat, rather than pursue them into Iraq.
That gave Powell a reputation for caution. During his service in Vietnam, Powell concluded that the U.S. military should never get itself involved in such a conflict again without strong public support and overwhelming superiority.
It's unlikely that he will recommend any drastic action to the new president at a time when the Gulf War has dropped into the lower tiers of U.S. security concerns.
However, Saddam appears to have lost none of his confidence and may soon test the new administration's will. The coalition that the president's father assembled against Saddam has crumbled and almost cannot be reassembled.
The new president may have no choice but to confront his father's old enemy under conditions that in some respects are less favorable than they were 10 years ago. If Saddam challenges Bush, he will have no choice but to respond.
Deal with prosecutor
gets Clinton off hook
BILL Clinton's conduct in the Lewinsky affair was scandalous and his lies were outrageous. But most people felt they did not amount to the "high crimes and misdemeanors" that the Constitution sets as the standard for removing a president from office. Thus the Senate's acquittal of Clinton on impeachment charges was generally approved.
Yet it didn't seem right for him to get off scot-free. Now, a day before leaving the presidency, Clinton has admitted for the first time that he made false statements in the Lewinsky case.
He made a deal with prosecutors to avert an indictment, surrendering his law license for five years and agreeing to pay a $25,000 fine.
This spares the country the spectacle of a former president being subjected to a trial, while exacting an admission of wrongdoing and at least a minimal penalty. It may be the best solution available.
The agreement vindicates Independent Counsel Robert Ray and his much-maligned predecessor, Kenneth Starr. There was indeed serious wrongdoing here, even if it fell short of grounds for removal from office. With Clinton's term expiring, the time was right to settle the case.
In a parliamentary system, Clinton could have been quickly ousted as prime minister. But our system does not provide such an easy solution for removing a president. The impeachment process is an ordeal -- for the nation as well as the accused.
In rejecting the attempt to remove Clinton from the presidency, the Senate reflected the judgment of the American people that his misdeeds did not warrant his ouster -- but it probably was necessary for that question to be considered.
The plea agreement is an appropriate way to put an end to this sordid case, although the punishment is a mere rap on the knuckles.
Published by Liberty Newspapers Limited PartnershipRupert E. Phillips, CEO
Frank Bridgewater, Acting Managing Editor
Diane Yukihiro Chang, Senior Editor & Editorial Page Editor
Michael Rovner, Assistant Managing Editor
A.A. Smyser, Contributing Editor
