Bob Schaffer: “the media entertained then summarily dismissed fantastic ``Wag the Dog'' analogies to December's missile strike against…”

“the media entertained then summarily dismissed fantastic ``Wag the Dog'' analogies to December's missile strike against Iraq. Even now, few have ventured post mortem analyses of the momentous episode sidetracked by historic impeachment coverage. Billions spent, lives lost and risked, measured against the efficacy of modern warfare have gone virtually unchallenged in America's press, much less the President's ulterior political benefits accumulated throughout the exchange. His Holiness Pope John Paul II was right to seize the occasion of a St. Louis visit to chastise Bill Clinton's handling of Iraq. More than 2 months having passed since Operation Desert Fox, it remains unclear who stands the victor. The coincident timing of impeachment-eve air strikes fueled rampant speculation about President Bill Clinton's motives, drawing indignant insistence by the White House U.S. national security was the singular interest. Today, the Pope finds himself among an ever-growing crowd of Americans unconvinced the missile attack was an absolute necessity, and with the settling dust comes clarification of the uneasy truth, Saddam Hussein remains in power. This fact controverts the December 17, 1998, call by Congress to finish the job.”