WINDS OF CHANGE IN IRAQ:
And Whirlwinds of Defeat for Saddam

Before this week is out the disarming of Saddam and the liberation of the Iraqi people by the coalition forces of the US, UK, and others will begin. In yesterday's edition of his End of Day e-newsletter, Gary Bauer of the Family Research Council notes that in recent days the Iraqis themselves have been protesting against Saddam despite the oppression and violence they face for doing so. He writes:

Hussein In The Crosshairs

Events are now swiftly moving toward war. The Azores "summit" resulted in the allies giving "diplomacy" one more day, but even one more month would not have mattered. France again made it clear they would veto any U.N. resolution that contained an ultimatum and without an ultimatum there is no chance Hussein would ever cooperate.

Now comes word that President Bush will address the nation tonight at 8:00 pm after briefing congressional leaders. Rumors swirling through Washington suggest that he will give Hussein 48 to 72 hours to leave Iraq. But even before the President's speech, an Iraqi spokesman said Hussein will not leave and that the only thing that will avert war is for President Bush to resign!

Meanwhile, U.S. intelligence is picking up signs that the chemical weapons Iraq doesn't have, that Blix couldn't find, and that the French insist don't matter, are being distributed to Republican Guard units around Baghdad. Speaking of Blix, he is planning on leaving Iraq tomorrow and will soon be replaced by 225,000 G.I. inspectors who have a bit more passion for the job than the U.N. bureaucrat has shown in the last six months. In fact, very soon Blix, Kofi Annan, Jacques Chirac and the peace demonstrators will be taking a backseat in the news to the bunch of kids from Everytown, U.S.A., who will, once again, liberate - not conquer - and make us all proud.

Cracks In Iraq

Reports are beginning to leak out of Iraq about what is going on there as liberation nears. Twenty thousand demonstrators in the Iraqi city of Kirkuk marched demanding Hussein's overthrow. There are reports of sabotage all over the country. Posters of Hussein are being vandalized. Last weekend a demonstration against Hussein by Iraqi Shiite Muslims was brutally suppressed. In short, freedom is in the air in Iraq. If I were Jacques Chirac, I would vacate my Iraqi embassy now.