For perspective, here’s a quote from Ann Coulter’s latest commentary:

Hillary did not object to precipitous action against Iraq when her husband bombed it on the day of his scheduled impeachment. President Clinton attacked Saddam Hussein without first asking approval from the United Nations, the U.S. Congress or even France. But now we have a president who wants to attack Iraq for purposes of national security rather than his own personal interests, and Hillary thinks he’s being rash. President Bush has gotten a war resolution from Congress, yet another U.N. Security Council resolution, and we’ve been talking about this war for 14 months. But he’s being precipitous.

Others have been noting that Sheryl Crowe, who had the “No War” guitar strap at the Grammys, was performing for the troops in the (non-UN-sanctioned, non-Congress-sanctioned, non-France-sanctioned) incursion into Bosnia. No sign of her guitar strap there (unless she thought the troops she was entertaining were just there on holiday).

A large percentage of the anti-war crowd (and likely the vast majority of those from the Hollywood left) are not so much anti-war as they are anti-Bush, in a knee-jerk reaction of Cecil B. DeMille proportions. This isn’t an expression of principle for them as much as it is not liking it when their guy’s not in office. Plain and simple.

So what are those 18 UN resolutions that have been passed against Iraq? Juan Paxety lists them all, with links to the texts. He notes that CNN is calling the one introduced yesterday the “second” resolution, when it’s actually the 19th.

Did you hear a story about Iraqi-Americans petitioning the Bush administration to topple Saddam Hussein?

Yeah, neither did I. Wonder why.

Some of the volunteer “human shields” are shocked–SHOCKED–to discover the targets they’re being asked to protect are rather closely situated to Iraqi army bases. Imagine that. An article in the London Telegraph (free registration required) informs us that, in one case…

Fifteen volunteers from the first 200 shields are moving into a bunker at the South Baghdad Electricity Plant in an effort to deter attack by America and its allies. However some of the shields yesterday questioned Iraq’s selection of the power plant, after discovering that it is situated next to an army base.

Since the shields’ first visit to examine their new quarters, sandbags and unmanned check points had been erected around the plant. Asked about the neighbouring Rasheed military base, an Iraqi official said: “Don’t worry, it is a small army camp.”

Heh heh…pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.

Steven Den Beste has an amazingly in-depth piece on why the French & Germans are acting the way they are, all given with the backdrop of a short history of the last few hundred years. It may appear that Chirac’s statements to the eastern Europe nations (that they missed an opportunity to shut up) is merely pompous. But the socialism that continues to creep into European politics has roots in immediate post-World-War-II American benevolence, and that has it’s roots in the errors of post-World-War-I reparations, and that has its roots…

Well, take the time to read the whole thing. Once again, a good understanding of history trumps “No War” placards. And Den Beste understands it.

We can now thank anti-war protestors for directly contributing to the possibility of war.

President Saddam Hussein’s government, apparently emboldened by antiwar sentiment at the U.N. Security Council and in worldwide street protests, has not followed through on its promises of increased cooperation with U.N. arms inspectors, according to inspectors in Iraq.

The lack of anti-Saddam rhetoric from the anti-war crowd, and the presence of exclusively anti-American chants and signs, continues to indicate that it’s not war they’re protesting, it’s America.

I mentioned earlier about the EU giving Hussein his last last last chance. Well Taranto’s “Best of the Web Today” for February 19th, goes even further than that, giving us a good history lesson on “last” chances.

This Is Your Last Last Last Last Last Chance

“Hussein will be given ‘a last chance to comply before he gets clobbered,’ The New York Times on Monday quoted an unidentified U.S. official as saying.”–CNN.com, Jan. 27, 1998

“Annan Admits Iraq Trip Could Be Last Chance for Peace”–CNN.com, Feb. 18, 1998

“Clinton: Iraq Has Abused Its Last Chance”–CNN.com, Dec. 16, 1998

“The White House suggested Wednesday that Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein has missed his ‘last chance’ to disarm.”–CNN.com, Dec. 18, 2002

“Future European Union members endorsed a joint declaration Tuesday warning Saddam Hussein he has one last chance to disarm.”–Associated Press, Feb. 18, 2003

Aren’t five years worth of “last chances” enough? It’s time to cut the nonsense and rush to war.

In the aftermath of the record-setting blizzard in the northeast US, who are the big heros, getting hospital workers to work and bringing family members of dying patients to the bedside? SUV drivers. Not exactly fitting the “self-centered and self-absorbed, with little interest in their neighbors and communities” picture that Keith Bradsher’s book attempted to paint them as.

Tony Blair delivered a speech to the Labor Party’s Spring Conference in Glasgow on February 15. The Observer exerpted his speech, titled “The Price of My Conviction”. Best part:

If there are 500,000 on the [Stop the War] march, that is still less than the number of people whose deaths Saddam has been responsible for. If there are one million, that is still less than the number of people who died in the wars he started. So if the result of peace is Saddam staying in power, not disarmed, then I tell you there are consequences paid in blood for that decision too. But these victims will never be seen, never feature on our TV screens or inspire millions to take to the streets. But they will exist none the less.

I heard a comment on the radio yesterday in a similar vein. Where were all these protestors when Saddam was killing his people and others, but the UN did nothing about it? If they really aren’t anti-American, they’re at least not anti-Saddam. And of course it’s a matter of record that ANSWER and groups like them who have organized the anti-war protests have communists at their foundation who have absolutely nothing good to say about America (in spite of their freedom to express those ideas in this country without reprisal).

At some point, this is anti-American. If you don’t know or don’t care whether it is, it ought to be your business to know.

The EU has given Hussein his last last last chance today. >yawn< Wonder if they mean it this time. The good news is that the EU is suggesting that the buildup of troops in the area has forced Saddam to cooperate with inspectors, but the question then is, why did it take troops to do that? If Iraq was fully cooperating…oh, you know the drill.