When he addressed the United Nations, and in comments since, President Bush attempted to make the "moral" case for war with Iraq. At the same time, the Los Angeles Times reports that the president is preparing to bribe foreign governments in order to win support for this "moral" war.

In exchange for support of this "moral" war, diplomats say, Turkey is preparing to ask for weapons and debt relief, Qatar wants money to build air fields, Russian and France want access to Iraqi oil fields guaranteed by an ongoing U.S. military presence, and Jordan is interested in trade concessions.

The Bush administration's determination to use bribery to get the United States into an unnecessary war is even more disturbing than the administration's attempts to create false fears about the "threat" posed by Iraq to its neighbors and, even more remarkably, to the United States. Unlike the fear mongering, these bribes will cost an already depleted treasury more than U.S. taxpayers can or should waste on a fool's mission.

Copyright 2002 The Capital Times

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