Dethroning Saddam Hussein can be accomplished easily without force. My plan is to lure him from his position by making him an offer he can’t refuse-membership in the USA ex-president’s club, where he could hobnob with Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, George Bush and Bill Clinton. He would be supplied with an office and staff, a generous stipend and expense account as well as round-the-clock security, courtesy of the Secret Service.
A Madison Avenue spin agency could soon change his image from international villain to lecture circuit idol and the society that wished him dead would book him for speeches at a million dollars a gig. (“The public has a quick wrath and a short memory”.) A billion dollar book contract would follow and, if this were so, could his own talk show be far behind? He could buy a nice mansion in a nice desert and be permitted to keep a few of his old palaces in the event of homesickness.
Think of the bloodshed we avoid and the money we save by not going to war. America has traditionally tried to avoid armed conflict. We have our share of war heroes, but we are famous for our production of peacetime heroes such as scientists, surgeons, athletes, astronauts and even hit men.
Someone will make the latter an offer they can’t refuse, once Saddam is settled in.
Bill Dowey