Rumors of Peace, Threats of War : Washington makes another welcome offer to meet

All hands are now on deck for the putative showdown over Kuwait. Congress is back in session, effortlessly producing almost enough hot air to warm Washington’s winter chill, and the Bush Administration is back with a new proposal for bilateral talks with Iraq, which Baghdad instantly said it was “studying.” And the United Nations is threatening to convene--prior to the Jan. 15 deadline for withdrawal--yet another Security Council meeting.

This is a staggering amount of would-be jawing. But it would be nice to think that if it continues, the potentially warring parties might talk themselves into the sort of stupefying boredom that will prompt the Iraqi army to go back where it came from and enable the American and allied armies to pack up and go home. Which, basically, is what the whole world wants.

But to achieve that goal, it seems to us that two elements must be in place:

--The Bush Administration must continue to press the cause of peace by being willing to go anywhere at any time to talk to any fully accredited Iraqi representative. This might even mean it must, in effect, appear to eat crow and meet with Saddam’s minions at whatever time and place Iraq wants. If this is the sort of face-saving gesture the megalomaniacal Iraqi dictator requires in order to fold up his Kuwaiti tent, the world will offer the Bush Administration nothing less than a standing ovation if it were to go precisely that extra mile. For nothing so ennobles a superpower as the ability to act big gracefully. The latest U.S. offer--that Secretary of State Baker meet with Iraqi Foreign Minister Tarik Aziz in Geneva early next week--was worth making.

--At the same time the Bush Administration must be viewed by Baghdad to be mounting a fearsome military threat. While the diplomatic effort will help keep the coalition together, the military buildup should help keep Saddam’s feet to the fire. No sane person believes that he can be persuaded to do the right thing by an appeal to his better nature.

The worry about Bush, of course, is not that he shouldn’t be seeking to achieve an Iraqi withdrawal, but that he would seek such a withdrawal at any cost. Congress does not seem to be willing to bite that bullet, at least not yet, and the polls show the American people somewhat divided on the issue of what price to pay in the Persian Gulf.

Ironically, for the time being, it may prove to be a blessing in disguise that Congress isn’t acting decisively and voting on a formal declaration of war. How would that vote come out if it were held today? The combined weight of world opinion and the international coalition of military force might yet leverage the Iraqis out of Kuwait. That’s less likely if Congress were to declare itself Saturday to be possessed of grave doubts about the wisdom of the President’s policy. A vote at this precise moment might be seen to tie the President’s hands at the very time that he needs every possible bit of maneuvering room. At least it’s arguable that Congress’ spinelessness may inadvertently be working for some greater good.

Over the longer run, some congressional sanction will be needed to justify a major and prolonged U.S. military action in either Kuwait or Iraq. The Constitution seems clear on that. In the nuclear age--a development the framers could hardly have foreseen--the commander in chief must have the latitude to respond instantly to a sudden military threat. But consultation and consent are requirements under the circumstances of a premeditated and drawn-out buildup like the current one.

No doubt new rumors of peace and war will now surface daily. The European Community meets today; a French newspaper reports that Hussein would withdraw in return for a 99-year lease on the two offshore islands (a report quickly denounced by Baghdad). More rumors of peace.