To war we go

I'll be posting more sporadically than usual this week about the war with Iraq. President Bush made it clear tonight that he has no intention of abandoning his reckless foreign policy, and so the killing of thousands of Iraqi civilians and children will begin, probably later this week.

I spent a part of this weekend and today finishing a piece for OJR on news organizations' photojournalism plans for the upcoming war, and I'll point to it once it posts. But the dawning of the hostilities has left me with an ineffable sadness -- not only for those who will be killed, but especially for our own country, and the hatred we're inviting from around the world.

Two stories from Sunday's New York Times speak well to this:

Anger on Iraq Seen as New Qaeda Recruiting Tool

On three continents, Al Qaeda and other terror organizations have intensified their efforts to recruit young Muslim men, tapping into rising anger about the American campaign for war in Iraq, according to intelligence and law enforcement officials. ...

"An American invasion of Iraq is already being used as a recruitment tool by Al Qaeda and other groups," a senior American counterintelligence official said. "And it is a very effective tool."

The Man Who Would Be President of Iraq

When the regime finally changes in Baghdad, and Saddam Hussein is dead, in custody or in exile, 70 years of Iraqi independence will end, political authority will pass into the hands of George W. Bush and Western rule will be planted on Arab soil for the first time since the French and British left the region in the middle of the last century.

What then happens to Iraq's 23 million people, its oil and its relations with its neighbors will remain the personal responsibility of Mr. Bush and his successors in the White House until one of them chooses to surrender it.

This dramatic expansion of President Bush's job description, little discussed during the long months of argument at the United Nations over Iraqi weapons, will be the immediate practical result of an American military victory and the occupation of Iraq by the Army's Central Command.

As the military commander in chief, the president will have virtually unlimited power to change and rebuild Iraq as he sees fit, far greater power, for example, than Queen Victoria's over India in the 19th century.

No matter what happens with the military campaign -- which the U.S. surely will win -- this political policy is both foolhardy and shameless. It surely will bring far more terrorist attacks against U.S. targets than the continued policy of containment that the world community endorses.

Meantime, some likeminded souls have banded together with an online demonstration of oppoisition to war against Iraq. And I wish MoveOn.org, bless them, would stick to these touching photos of Sunday's candlelight vigil and skip the nonsense of showing satellite photos of candles supposedly seen from outer space. We have the moral high ground on this. Let's not undermine it.

The MoveOn folks have a good suggestion:

One simple way to show your continued commitment to this vision is to put a light in your window. It could be a Christmas string or candle, a light bulb, or a lantern. It's an easy way to keep the light of reason and hope burning, to let others know that they are not alone, and to show the way home to the young men and women who are on their way to Iraq.

You can sign up here.

Back from Tahoe

Just got back from a four-day weekend at Lake Tahoe. We almost didn't go because of the forecast of 3 to 5 feet of snow for the region. Turned out to be 3 to 5 inches -- and wonderfully timed. The morning after we arrived a soft blanket of snow fell, which delighted Bobby, a California boy who had never seen snow before. (Guess who bore the brunt of the ensuing snowball fights?) I had only one major wipeout on the slopes at Heavenly Valley, so all in all, a relaxing weekend. (Sorry, no pix -- the digital camera's in the repair shop.)

Before heading out to the casinos, I actually spent a little time brushing up on my blackjack rules and strategy online. Seemed to help.