Libertarian Rebel Without a Clue

Libertarian blogger Gene Healy writes:

The September 14th resolution empowers the President to go after those responsible for 9/11. There is no evidence of an Iraqi connection to 9/11. Our own intelligence agencies and the chief of Czech foreign intelligence doubt that the alleged meeting between Atta and the Iraqi spy ever happened.

The idea that the 11 year old use of force resolution authorizing Gulf War I also authorizes Gulf War II can barely pass the straight face test. A fair reading of that resolution and the UN Sec Council resolutions it incorporates wouldn’t have allowed Bush 41 to do more than expel Hussein from Kuwait. But somehow it empowers his son to overthrow Hussein 11 years later. Get real, bloggers.

Forget the September 14 resolution. Forget the UN resolutions of 1991. They don’t matter. They aren’t germaine. Pretend they didn’t happen.

Here’s what did happen.

After 96 hours of fighting, the United States unilaterally (but conditionally) ceased hostilities against Iraqi forces. We then negotiated a permanent ceasefire with Saddam Hussein. Under the terms of that agreement, Saddam was, among other things, to cease hostilities against Coalition forces, and completely open up his country to weapons inspectors — and destroy any WMD materials they might find and he might have. WMD tit for a ceasefire tat.

Hussein has not for one day been in compliance with the deal he struck with us.

I do believe — and have oft stated — that President Bush should go to Congress for a new resolution. But Bush needs to do so not to fulfill any international (or national) legal niceties. He needs to do so to affirm popular and Congressional support for an arduous campaign.

But Hussein is in breach of a contract signed. To argue that we need to uphold our end of the bargain while he doesn’t is in opposition to every libertarian principle regarding the right to contract.

Get real, Gene.