Vindicated!

by Robert J. Romano

May 23rd, 2004

To those whom have attempted to discredit the justification for expanding the war on terror into Iraq, the discovery of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in Iraq has provided quite the opportunity for defeatists and revisionists to collectively insert their feet into each other's mouths.  Coupled with the threat of terrorism within Iraq, the find of any WMD demonstrates that the claims put forward by Hussein's regime that "There are no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq!" were quite false, and that the danger of such weapons being handed off to terrorists was quite real.  Hussein has been found to have been in further breach of his international obligations than was previously objectively known, though it is clear that such violation was already well-documented, and that further finds will only add to the weight of evidence already being brought to bear.  The question had not, and has not been about whether or not the WMD existed, for they most certainly did, but what had Hussein's regime done with the weapons.  Were they buried, destroyed, dispersed, or exported? Were they handed off to terrorists?

        "A 155-millimeter howitzer shell, part of an improvised explosive device [IED], exploded [last] Saturday in Iraq. The IED contained 3 to 4 liters of sarin gas, a deadly nerve agent; two U.S. soldiers were exposed while attempting to disarm the bomb and were treated. An IED discovered a couple of weeks ago was confirmed to contain mustard gas." (Quoted from The Federalist 04-20 Digest) In the hands of terrorists, WMD are the great danger of our time.  By failing to fully account for her arsenal, Hussein's Iraq left the international community with no choice but to assume that they were still at large, in spite of resolution after resolution calling for their disarmament.  These recent finds may only be the tip of the iceberg, and  the question most certainly remains, "Just where are those weapons?" Though their discovery is by no means surprising, it is clear that the weapons and the programs which created them must be disarmed in order for the Iraqi people, the coalition, the region, and the world at large to agree that the threat has been fully eliminated.  

        Just because the Hussein regime is no longer in power does not mean that there are no threats which exist in Iraq.  9 out of the 55 most wanted regime members remain at large.  The unaccounted for WMD remain unaccounted for.  The sporadic insurgency still poses a danger to the Iraqi people and coalition forces.  Foreign fighters and terrorists are still attempting to cross Iraq's porous borders, despite Iraqi and coalition forces' efforts to stop their entrance into the theatre.  Al Qaeda still remains in Iraq, as well, carrying out acts of murder and terrorism against the people there.  Iraq remains a dangerous place, and establishing security there remains a priority.  We owe it to the people we have liberated to stay the course, remove these dangers, and secure liberty by helping them to establish a constitutional federal republic.

        The coalition has undoubtedly performed brilliantly in the past year, first by removing the regime from power and liberating the people, ensuring Iraq's hope for the future.  We owe our soldiers and the allies a debt of gratitude which cannot be repaid - for some the sacrifice has been their lives, for others it has been their limbs - though by staying the course and transferring sovereignty to the Iraqi people on June 30th, the coalition has given to Iraq the great opportunity of the 21st century to self-govern.  We remain committed to securing the country, to establishing representative democracy, and to rebuilding her economy.  The weight of the successes made on the ground far outweighs the setbacks to date.  Today, we can objectively state that Iraq is better off without the Hussein regime in power.  Schools and hospitals are open and operating, Iraqis are increasingly assuming security responsibilities, water, sanitation, and power facilities are working, Iraq's free press is more vibrant than ever, and Iraq's oil production averages about 2.5 million barrels a day. 

        It remains important for the sake of the war effort that we keep events in perspective.  Acts of terrorism are not 100% preventable, and when they do occur, we mourn the loss of life, but they will not be made to derail our efforts.  As the President has stated, we will bring our enemies to justice, or justice to our enemies.  We should not be surprised if the coalition remains in Iraq for some time to come, even beyond the June 30th date for the transfer of sovereignty, to aid with security, establishing democracy, and reconstructing the economy.  We will watch as the Iraqi people take responsibility for their nation, and a new republic is founded.  Our commitment to Iraq is iron-clad, and the people of Iraq should know that we will not abandon them in their hour of need.  It is clear that the coalition and the new Iraq, in working through the details of the transfer of sovereignty, will have to come to an agreement about the future of security operations in the country.  It is highly unlikely that all dangers will have been eliminated come June 30th.

        Towards that end, locating and destroying any remnants of Iraq's former WMD stockpiles and programs is absolutely necessary before they are used again, wherever they may be.  Despite the defeatists who seek to pull out of Iraq before the job is done, and the revisionists who insist that Hussein's Iraq was not a threat to international peace and security, it is clear that there is still much work to be done, and that pre-war claims about the type of danger posed by the Hussein regime were quite correct.  The two weapons located thus far in recent weeks are two too many, and we should not assume that these are the only two to be found.  If Hussein's regime was willing to lie about two weapons, they were probably willing to lie about two-hundred or two-thousand weapons.  We have to assume that the unaccounted for WMD remain at large, for while our efforts appear to have been vindicated, the danger still remains grave.