STILL UNANSWERED

President George Bush’s news conference last week left a big question unanswered: Why are we going to war? The President never gave a reason for why he’s willing to sacrifice the lives of American soldiers in a war against Iraq.

“I think the threat is real,” the President said, but he’s never given the details of the threat to the United States.

“The risk of doing nothing is a risk I’m not willing to take,” the President stated. “Doing nothing” implies that the weapons inspections program is failing. The president obviously has no use for inspections, although the program coordinator says his group’s efforts are working. Every new report brings details about how the inspection plan—even in the small-scale version now employed—is causing Saddam Hussein to give up additional weapons. A strong containment program has never been tried.

Why are we about to launch a devastating attack against the people of Iraq?

“The price of the attacks on America on Sept. 11 were enormous,” the President said, once again leading away from the topic at hand. There’s no evidence of an Iraqi role in the attack. Al-Qaida, the group that was responsible, refers to Saddam as an infidel.

“It’s an immeasurable cost—3,000 people died,” the President said in an attempt to justify a war, again trying to transfer Americans’ rage against terrorism to Saddam.

“We have no quarrel with anybody other than Saddam and his group of killers,” the President stated, and yet Saddam is but one of tens of thousands of Iraqi people who will die in the massive attack by American forces.

Thousands more will perish in the aftermath, with the country’s infrastructure badly damaged, water and food supplies cut, the power grid severed, and medical services further weakened. The President speaks of liberating the Iraqi people from a ruthless leader, but death is not likely the form of liberation they would choose.

It’s possible the imminent war will turn out a complete success for the administration. Perhaps all the various warnings from critics will never pan out and Iraq will soon become a stable, prosperous country. But then again, it might not turn out as the President wishes.

He’s willing to take that gamble with his armed forces and with the future security of the United States. He appears fixated on military action and unwilling to promote a stronger inspection plan backed up by a military force—a solution to the Saddam problem minus the death and destruction that war will bring. War should be the last option, but the administration never exhausted other possibilities.

Criticism of war plans is often viewed as a lack of support for our country and dissatisfaction with the military. That’s hardly the case. Thousands of people consider it a patriotic act to protest an unjustified war. As of now, no compelling reason has been given to begin bombing Iraq.