Mpls Star Tribune: Dean's truth/Saddam didn't threaten U.S.

[dflprincess]

Note: The Minneapolis Star Tribune has not yet endorsed a presidential candidate.

I know Dean supporters will not - like the last paragraph of this (even as a Kucinich supporter I'm not sure it was necessary, I suppose they didn't want to look like they were endorsing anyone yet), but the rest of the editorial is good and I'm glad they ran it.

http://www.startribune.com/stories/561/4276000.html

<snip>
We don't have a dog in the Democratic presidential fight, but we do know that front-runner Howard Dean, like him or not, is getting beaten up unfairly for telling an unpleasant truth: The capture of Saddam Hussein hasn't made America safer. It was an excellent piece of work, it may make Iraqis safer, and it may help protect American forces in Iraq. But the capture does nothing directly to secure the United States from the danger posed by terrorism.
That's because the war on terrorism has nothing to do with Iraq. Saddam was an ogre who can legitimately be charged with crimes against humanity, genocide and assorted other nasty behaviors. But there's no evidence he was an international terrorist, and that's not likely to change no matter how many times the Bush administration says it knows he was.

Dean was merely saying in a different way what many have said before: The invasion of Iraq actually has been a serious distraction from the real war on terror. Resources and international goodwill that would have been useful in fighting Al-Qaida and other terrorist organizations worldwide have been squandered in order to depose Saddam and remake Iraq.

This is what Dean understands: Americans were sold a bill of goods by President Bush. He and all those around him told the American people that Saddam was a dire threat that had to be erased immediately. There was no more time for weapons inspections or diplomatic endeavors because Saddam had acquired some weapons of mass destruction, was dedicated to getting more and might pass some along to his good friends in Al-Qaida. Moreover, the United Nations had wimped out and let Saddam get away with it.

That's what Howard Dean was saying, and he should be cheered for it, not heaped with opprobrium. He might make a poor challenger to Bush, but in this instance he spoke a truth that bears endless repetition, because it's a truth the Bush administration wants to hide.

[clarknyc]

1. Thanks for posting this.

[DFLforever]

2. This is a good editorial from the Strib on this issue

Thanks for posting it, princess.

I don't think the concluding sentence is so bad. Dean has a lot of proving yet to do before he wins the nomination; but it is statements like this which show he may be the Democrat most capable of taking on Bush.

[grannylib]

3. Was very pleased to see this in the paper this morning, and it's so

true.
"bill of goods" is pretty mild; "pack of lies" would be more accurate.