Prophetic

The following quote comes from George H.W. Bush in his memoir in 1999 where he explains why he didn't overthrow Saddam Hussein at the end of the first Gulf War:

"Trying to eliminate Saddam . . . would have incurred incalculable human and political costs. Apprehending him was probably impossible. . . We would have been forced to occupy Baghdad and, effect, rule Iraq. . . There was no viable exit strategy we could see, violating another of our principles. Furthermore, we have been self-consciously trying to set a pattern for handling aggression in the post-Cold War world. Going in and occupying Iraq, thus unilaterally exceeding the United Nations' mandate, would have destroyed the precedent of international response to aggression that we hoped to establish. Had we gone the invasion route, the United States could conceivably still be an occupying power in a bitterly hostile land."

This prophetic quote perhaps explains why he spends more time with former president Clinton than he does with his own son, George W.

LEO R. SANDY
New Hampton
9 Aug 2007