They no play-a the game, they no make-a the rules

Here, courtesy of Fox News, is the transcript of a Fox interview with Paul Wolfowitz, Deputy Secretary of Defense. The best part of the interview, in my opinion, is the second half, in which Wolfowitz discusses post-war Iraq. If Wolfowitz’s views prevail, the coalition will run Iraq until it hands control over to a legitimate Iraqi authority. The U.N.’s role will be to provide humanitarian assistance. As to the role of French, German, and Russian companies in the re-building of Iraq, Wolfowitz’s delicious answer is that this is up to the legitimate Iraqi authority.
Unfortunately, as Rocket Man has pointed out, those less clear-headed than Wolfowitz seem determined to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory by “internationalizing” our policies for rebuilding Iraq. A good example of such thinking appears in this Washington Post piece by Senators Biden and Hegel. The two Senators see a role in Iraq for everyone — NATO, the EU, Arab nations in the region, the U.N., the World Bank — no matter how craven their actions have been. Biden and Hegel consider the U.N. to be the key because its endorsement of post-war policies will give cover to political leaders whose people opposed the war. But what policies would the U.N. (i.e., France, Germany, and Russia) endorse? Giving a say to leaders whose people oppose what we’re trying to accomplish in Iraq is clearly a losing proposition.

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