Tempus Fugit

Craig Singleton has an editorial in the Independent Florida Alligator that could really use some rebuttal.

If anyone was ever an outspoken critic of the war in Iraq, it was me. There never were any weapons of mass destruction, and Saddam Hussein did not have any ties to Al-Qaeda.

Alligator: Democracy in Iraq still in question

The only way Craig’s claim that Iraq never had any weapons of mass destruction is true is if you define “weapons of mass destruction” as being fully assembled nuclear warheads. Saddam had enriched uranium that could be used to make a nuclear “dirty bomb.” Saddam had sarin gas, mustard gas, VX gas, and numerous other weapons capable of destroying hundreds of thousands of lives.

Saddam’s ties to al-Qaeda are old news, but Craig choses to just deny the facts.

Peace in Iraq is dependent on the United States and the newly formed Iraqi government developing an exit strategy – one that ensures enough Iraqi troops have been trained, that the insurgency has been contained and that an international force is brought in to help the country become genuinely democratic.

Alligator: Democracy in Iraq still in question

Iraqi forces were in charge of security for the elections. The elections were remarkably uneventful, despite threats of violence from terrorists. And there is an international force there! The United Nations was on hand to provide technical assistance during the elections.

President Bush has been seduced by a benign version of the domino theory and likely will proclaim victory no matter what happens in Iraq.

Alligator: Democracy in Iraq still in question

And Craig has been seduced by the school of thought that says that there can be no victory in Iraq while Bush sits in the White House. Instead of recognizing the country’s first democratic vote in over 50 years as a positive 2nd step toward Iraqi independence, it is seen on the left as something worthy of belittlement, lest praise of Iraq’s thirst for freedom be seen as praise of Bush’s policies.