Don't blame President Bush. If terrorists strike again, the only way for the party in power to avoid criticism is to be at war (the ultimate response). Afghanistan filled the bill for a while, but mop-up and nation-building are not sexy enough. The quiet labor of helping the United Nations weave international nets to catch terrorists is boring.
Saddam Hussein provides the perfect target, a real danger, though how many years away no one knows (or needs to know).
The same dread of not looking busy enough has paralyzed Congress.
Meanwhile, our example of unilateral preemptive war reminds other nations (especially those with nuclear arms) that they too have troublesome neighbors.
So don't blame President Bush. He has a cabinet of old-fashioned war hawks and a belief that cooperation equals weakness. He has to do something. Anything.
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Mary A. Pryor
Moorhead
