FYI

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Vic Hanson answers a fundamental question:

Q: Does Saddam Hussein really pose a deadly or immediate threat to the United States — and how, as a democracy, in good conscience can we act preemptively?

A: "Since September 11 there has no longer been a margin of safety — or error — allowing us a measure of absolute certainty before action. Long gone is the notion that American soil is inviolable or that enemies will not butcher thousands of civilians unexpectedly and in time of peace.

"All we need to know is [that he did the following]:

• broke the armistice agreements of the first war
• violated the weapons-inspections accords
• likes to attack other countries
• dallies with terrorists
• has nightmarish weapons
• and has already fought us once.

"That he is a dictator, killed thousands of his own people, sought to assassinate a president of the United States, tried to destroy the ecology of Kuwait, and sent missiles into Israel and Saudi Arabia are not misdemeanors."

You can read the rest of his piece here.