Colin Powell has been on the Sunday talkshows saying that unconditional inspections are the only thing that are acceptable.
As much as the blogosphere (myself included) have been ragging on Powell, it’s looking like the Bush foreign policy team are all on the same page now. We’re demanding unconditional inspections, something which Baghdad will likely deny. If that happens, the UN will back off, and we’ll have proven our point about the UN being a toothless organization. (If the UN does support action against Iraq or Iraq blinks, we win as well.)
In other words, the Bush administration has played a game of rope-a-dope, and it looks like they’ve one. Even Powell is becoming an important piece in this new overall strategy.
I have to admit a great deal of proud amazement at the events of these past few days. I’ve always admired Bush, and I’ve always thought he was smarter than anyone gave him credit for…. but this is just amazing. Bush has expertly played a game of misdirection that’s led to a position in which the US has put both the UN and the Iraqis on the spot.
Secretary Powell seems to be handling the diplomatic side well, arguing forcefully for US policy in the region. Either he’s finally agreed to get on the same page as the rest of the Bush team or he’s been playing his own game of diplomatic rope-a-dope to calm some of the more skittish states about a strike against Iraq. Either way, if he keeps up like this he may earn some of the respect he’s lost in the last few months.
