Do Americans want to wade through a sea of Iraqi blood intended for the Iraqis to drown their dictator. A bigger goal, perhaps, than Baghdad. Arabs have been quick to grasp the realities. Hence their rejection of the strike, of the fragmentation of Iraqi territory, the destruction of its Armed Forces, and of its infra-structure. America, never humiliate a people.
People have unforgiving memories.
They will never forget an offense but keep their grudges9 alive for generations and generations to come. The US should swallow its hatred of the Iraqi regime, and President Clinton should control his personal feelings against President Saddam, who, in turn, must manage to swallow his arrogance and recklessness in order to avoid falling over the precipice. Diplomatic action has certain bounds beyond which it cannot proceed. But politicians should know how to discriminate between a bad option and worse options, and to differentiate between a calculated risk and a foolish gamble. Suicide is not the best option for dealing with crises, and incomplete solutions are capable of preempting a crisis and preventing its transformation into active combat.