Reading the Scowcroft/New York Times "arguments" against war, one is struck 
by how laughably weak they are. European international-law wishfulness and 
full-blown Pat Buchanan isolationism are the two intellectually honest 
alternatives to the Bush Doctrine. Scowcroft and the Times wish to embrace 
neither, so they pretend instead to be terribly "concerned" with the 
administration's alleged failure to "make the case." Somehow, Vice President 
Cheney's fine speech in San Francisco on August 7, or Condoleezza Rice's 
superb August 15 interview with the BBC, to say nothing of Donald Rumsfeld's 
impressive press briefings and President Bush's strong statements--these 
don't count. 
[Jake] Apparently this mentally challenged individual thinks that "making the 
case" = "making speeches".  The real problem, which this author either 
doesn't get, or tries to avoid, is that they (smirk's pals) simply do not 
have the goods, i.e. facts and evidence.  Perhaps they are out there to be 
found, and perhaps they are not.  But the continuing sad fact is that this 
administration would rather bully and bluster their way into yet another war, 
with irresponsible rhetoric about an "axis of evil", rather than coolly 
sitting back and gathering their evidence first.  They may yet find 
themselves cornered into doing the responsible thing (ie shut up until you 
have the goods), but it isn't as effective as it would if they had done this 
in the first place.  This administration continues to show appalling 
incompetence on international matters, probably worse than any post W.W.II 
president we have had.
-Jake
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