Well it was bound to happen sooner or later, the US has finally given up its search for WMD [link] No doubt this is going to cause a lot of controversy, but it's not going to change whats already happened.
I always thought using the WMD scare to go into Iraq was wrong, however as we have seen time and time again no matter how bad a countries leadership is, the world will not act unless there is something that is seen as a direct threat to their own well being. I don't think anyone thought leaving Saddam in power was a good idea; the same report that says there were no WMDs also clearly stated that he had the means and knowledge to make them and was planning on doing that once sanctions were lifted. We have seen it in Rwanda in the 90's and now there is another genocide (well the UN doesn't think Arabs slaughtering Blacks is genocide yet, but thats another story) in Sudan but in both cases nothing is happening because its not a direct threat to the rest of the world. This isn't only the US that doesn't act, its all of Europe and the rest of the world that refuse to act based soley on humanitarian needs and that is my biggest problem with the UN.
As for contraversy there will be a lot of people arguing and complaining, but this has been an accepted fact for quite some time and Bush already got re-elected so I don't see too much of a backlash from this, at least not in the US although the BBC is airing stories about people calling for to resign.
Its just like the French president said, we can't go after every murdering dicator in the world or else we'd always be at war. Therefore you have to pick and choose which ones you will, so why not choose the ones with some global profit in it. Already gas prices are going back down. Saving africa from its dicatotors won't do the world as great a service as getting Saddam's oil back on the market.
The French President, like Lamb Chop, has somebody else's hand up his ass, the difference being that Chirac's rectal control phalanges are stuffed with a fistful of Euros.
I think we ought to make Jules Winnfield, Secretary of the renewed Department of War. Then, when the bitches be "not cool" we just waste 'em and get it over with, none of this pansy-ass handwringing bullshit.
As for contraversy there will be a lot of people arguing and complaining, but this has been an accepted fact for quite some time and Bush already got re-elected so I don't see too much of a backlash from this, at least not in the US although the BBC is airing stories about people calling for to resign.