Logical Conclusion

I know that rules of logic have been suspended for the duration, but this continues to drive me so nuts that I can’t help but mention it from time to time.

Josh Marshall posts a quote from Tommy Franks:

With respect to WMD, … I’ve had a couple reporters ask me the same question, ‘Do you think that since we didn’t find this WMD, do you think it’s a mistake?’ And I look and hopefully give a wry smile and say “Do you think it would be better to have left this regime to build it?” I think we are far better served that the regime of Saddam Hussein no longer stands in Iraq.

Here’s the thing. Logically then, we have the right to invade and occupy any country in the world, since the criteria are simply that someone might someday build weapons of mass destruction and use them against us. In other words, this is like some comic book recipe for taking over the world. We could justify taking over Canada tomorrow under this doctrine, or New Zealand or Brazil. Who knows who might, maybe, could be thinking about someday, perhaps, down the road building something we don’t like right this very minute? Japan? France? (of course) South Korea? Not to mention the ones we supposedly know are doing it, Iran and North Korea. And, if we add up the list of those which have populations that now hate our guts and fear that we are going around the bend, you have virtualy the entire world on the list.

I don’t mind it so much when typical Joe spouts this line because he may not have thought it through and it has a certain emotional resonance. Even Republicans saying it is at least understandable because they are covering their asses. But, members of the officer corp of the US Military should never say such things. Ever. It’s Strangelovian in the extreme. Maybe he’s just covering for his pal, Junior, but there are many better (if still lousy) reasons to justify the invasion than that Saddam might have built weapons in the future so we had to take him out on March 16, 2003 and not a day later.