Again It's Thanks to Bush

Dr. Nimrod Raphaeli, senior analyst with MEMRI, gave testimony before the US House of Representatives Committee on International Relations with respect to the Paul Volcker UN Oil-For-Food report. Dr. Raphaeli's written submissions make for very interesting reading.

From the outset it is clear that but for "Operation Iraqi Freedom", the likelihood is that none of this would have come to light. Indeed, it seems to me that the fear of this coming to light was the major reason that the French, Germans and the other nay-sayers of the 'International Community', to say nothing of Kofi Annan and his cohorts, dithered and dawdled. Look, they had a good thing going. They make a little (in relative terms), Saddam and his fellow butchers make a lot. As they say in the movies: 'nothing personal, it's just business'.

And what a business. Billions of dollars flowing, all in the wrong direction. As for the Iraqi people, well they are no worse off than they were before, are they? Why worry?

After being persuaded that the proper route was to seek UN approval to attack Iraq, President Bush finally woke up to the folly and futility of this course. Attack he did, and he succeeded in bringing freedom to a long suffering people. Part of that freedom included a press that could write about things that would have cost them their lives under Saddam. In January 2004, the Iraqi daily al-Mada broke the story with the publication of a list of those who had received vouchers for oil at below market cost.

MEMRI (Middle East Media Research Institute) immediately picked up on the report, translated it from the Arabic, and gave it wide dissemination around the world. One is left to wonder where all the high-priced, blow-dried, foreign correspondents were. I forgot, they don't read Arabic.

As might be expected, the 'usual suspects' stalled and stonewalled, twisted and turned, but to no avail. Gradually it all began to unravel. The media finally began to exert pressure, as did the US Congress. Meantime further scandals are coming to light. The credibility of the defenders is beginning to shrink. Old Europe continues to pretend to virtue where virtue does not exist. The UN is clearly seen as a dysfunctional entity about to expire. Is there anything there worth saving? I doubt it.

And all of this is once again thanks to George W. Bush, whose steadfastness trumps all challenges. To paraphrase the song: "he does it his way".