He has repeatedly refused to attack the tyrannical Iraqi regime itself, even when, as in the summer of 1996, Saddam sent his armies against the American-supported resistance in the north. Rather than risk direct conflict, we betrayed the democratic resistance, and covered our betrayal with a few cruise missiles launched from ships offshore. This kind of military action cannot possibly defeat Saddam Hussein. If we had not betrayed the resistance, it might have been possible to combine our air power with their strength on the ground, but that option was foreclosed by Clinton's earlier treachery, and, as Machiavelli observes, is in any event contrary to Clinton's corrupt nature. Like all corrupt leaders, Clinton combines a passionate frenzy for self-satisfaction with lifelong contempt for the military, whose devotion to the common good is the opposite of his own narcissism.
Real leaders know that combat requires selflessness.
Their passion for self-fulfillment overwhelms the common good, and they are consequently unable to accept the great risk of using real power against their enemies. Good leaders prepare to fight and win, but Clinton only talks about victory, as in his latest phony promise to support Saddam's enemies. Leaders who put the illusion of safety over the requirement of victory, end in defeat. Machiavelli knows that Desert Fox is a blunder, because it cannot achieve victory, just as he knows that such blunders are all we can expect from the corrupt leaders like Bill Clinton. Kenneth R. Timmerman, publisher of Iran Brief , is a frequent contributor to The American Spectator .