The Washington Times

I devote my space this week to a statement I signed with 22 others just before the war started. I won’t claim that the list of signers is uniquely bipartisan in the annals of Washington, but it does show that common ground need not be obtained at the expense of clarity. The statement contains an unequivocal endorsement of military action and an equally unequivocal vision of what must happen afterward.

Read the rest of this entry »

The Washington Times

The only time I ever saw Zoran Djindjic, the prime minister of Serbia who was assassinated as he stepped out of a car in front of his Belgrade office last week, was at an off-the-record appearance he made in Washington not long after Slobodan Milosevic gave up as ruler of Yugoslavia. One appearance was enough, however, for him to make a lasting impression as one of the most serious and brilliant politicians on the world stage. What happened last week was a timely and shocking reminder that even the serious and brilliant are sometimes not serious and brilliant enough for the tasks they face.

Read the rest of this entry »

The Washington Times

On the question of war with Iraq, I think there are no more arguments to advance, pro or con. At this point, everything that is serious on either side of the question has been fully and competently aired. There will yet be a certain additional amount of nonsense coming out, but the serious cases are subject now only to restatement.

Read the rest of this entry »

The Washington Times

There was no reason to be surprised by the content of President Bush’s speech last week laying out his postwar vision for a free Iraq. There is nevertheless ample reason to marvel at the scope of its ambition – and by extension, the president’s own.

Read the rest of this entry »