Whatever happens, the first thirty days of the crisis should have been instructive. Slow learners, however, remain among us. They say the Iraqi despot, Saddam Hussein, is a unique threat, that his military power is overrated, that he can be defeated with relative ease, and that it would be easier yet if our forces had simple, sturdy equipment rather than the esoteric weapons on which we spent our money. That is hogwash. Of course this threat is unique.
Most threats are.
Before August 2, the instant experts who now perceive no other threats were not worried about Iraq either. Of course the United States can defeat Iraq in battle, but we should not expect a pushover. Some of his troops are ragged, but he still has a million of them. The quality of his chemical weapons may be questionable, but it's good enough to put our own forces into hot, bulky, protective gear. The United States owes its advantage to advanced capabilities.