Iraq invited U.S. attack

As United States and other United Nations forces engage the world's fourth largest army in the sands of the Arabian peninsula, it is important to reflect on the reasons.

First, to oppose aggression. If Saddam is not forced to comply with the 12 U.N. resolutions opposing his actions in Kuwait, his ambition to dominate the Mideast region is encouraged and his cult status among Arabs increased. It is then just a matter of time until his guns are turned on other nations in the region.

Saddam is a despot. He is not subject to popular control or the institutional constraints of a U.S. president or an Israeli prime minister - who was ordered this week by the Israeli Supreme Court to issue gas masks to Palestinians as well as Isrealis.

The evidence of the past 100 years is clear: Despots start wars. Despots with chemical and biological weapons and who are close to possessing nuclear weapons must be stopped. And failure to mount a strong response to Saddam's aggression would send the wrong message to others like him throughout the world.

Second, life does not, unfortunately, often serve up simple choices between war and peace. Too often it is a choice between war now or war later - under more difficult circumstances with more destruction of people and places. In this case, delay and "patience" will almost certainly lead to a fractured coalition and increased bloodshed.

In 1939, as the Germans were invading Poland, thoughtful Americans and Europeans said, "Why die for Danzig?" Seven years and more than 20 million lives later we knew the answer, and we learned a lesson: If you aren't willing to fight smaller wars today, you may be forced to fight bigger wars later.

Third, war is justified to prevent a megalomaniac from gaining control of oil supplies - the lifeblood of the industrial world. Saddam's control of oil prices is not just a matter of the price of gasoline at the local Exxon station. The simplistic slogan, "No blood for oil," is a cynical and demagogic view.

Saddam's control of Mideast oil would increase prices and afflict the industrial world with the shock of depression and the cancer of stagflation. The effects would be felt first among the world's poorest people. It would nip the first halting steps toward political and economic freedom in Eastern Europe.

Fourth, a primary aim of Saddam is the liquidation of Isreal, a real prospect if Saddam is allowed to have his way in the Mideast.

It is in the interest of the U.S. to oppose this aggression. The President, the Congress and America's volunteer armed forces have risen to the occasion. It's a struggle that deserves our support.