Defanging Hussein

It’s impeachment time. When I read in Nelson’s article that an Administration official was quoted as saying, “Neither congressional nor public sentiment on the issue of launching a military offensive will make any difference in Bush’s determination to proceed . . .,” I was appalled. Is this mad breach of democracy true, or is it another display of gorilla posturing aimed to intimidate Hussein? In either event, the American and global public are being shamefully traumatized. That the military is planning to inoculate American troops against biological weapons underscores the urgency of allowing more time for economic sanctions and diplomacy to work.

If we are so concerned about human rights violations, how is it that Bush assumes the American public will be mainly concerned about the number of U.S. casualties, not the tens of thousands of Iraqis who stand to die or be maimed in a massive air assault, including women and children? Sounds like self-righteous hypocrisy to me.

KAREN DORFMAN

Santa Monica