Well, we keep hearing that the US is in a `rush to war' in Iraq. In fact, we've been hearing that now for
over six months, which sort of puts the lie to the whole idea:
"The Rush to War"
-- headline, The Nation, Aug. 7, 2002
"Secretary of State Colin L. Powell ... and his advisers have decided that they should focus international discussion on how Iraq would be governed after Mr. Hussein--not only in an effort to assure a democracy but as a way to outflank administration hawks and slow the rush to war."
-- New York Times, Aug. 16, 2002
"Christian Leaders Urge U.S. to 'Stop Rush to War' With Iraq"
--headline, United Methodist Church press release, Aug. 30, 2002
(of course, as Aquinas, Augustine and Niebuhr wrote, standing by and letting others suffer injustice when you have the power to prevent their pain is a basic failure
of the Christian virtue of Caritas (charity), so I'm not sure which `Christian' leaders these were...)
"A Reckless Rush to War"
--headline, editorial, The American Prospect, Sept. 25, 2002
"We have not been told why ... we must rush to war rather than pursuing other options."
--Rep. Barbara Lee (D., Calif.), Sept. 30, 2002
"We are rushing into war without fully discussing why."
--Sen. Robert Byrd (D., W.Va.), Oct. 3, 2002
Senator Byrd, mind you, is a former Grand Kleagle of the KKK, an organization not known for calm, measured discussion.
But perhaps we should give Mr. Hussein one `last' chance, eh? Err, um, one more `last' chance:
Hussein will be given 'a last chance to comply before he gets clobbered,' The New York Times on Monday quoted an unidentified U.S. official as saying."
--CNN.com, Jan. 27, 1998
"Annan Admits Iraq Trip Could Be Last Chance for Peace"
--CNN.com, Feb. 18, 1998
"Clinton: Iraq Has Abused Its Last Chance"
--CNN.com, Dec. 16, 1998
"The White House suggested Wednesday that Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein has missed his 'last chance' to disarm."
--CNN.com, Dec. 18, 2002
"Future European Union members endorsed a joint declaration Tuesday warning Saddam Hussein he has one last chance to disarm."
--Associated Press, Feb. 18, 2003
(headlines noted in the Wall Street Journal's `Best of the Web' on Opinionjournal.com on January 28 and today)