Reflection on Bush's war plans

The thing about this Iraqi war plan is that in a republic -- or representative democracy, which is not the best form of government...

Which is a constitutionally limited democracy wherein the "people" -- i. e., the majority of them -- can decided only a few matters and a sound, libertarian constitution guides public policy -- people elect some to make and administer the law, who then appoint a bunch of other people to carry out various jobs, including gathering information on where there may be serious threats against the country, and the result can be a very secretive system where the large citizenry haven't a clue about what the "experts" do or do not know.

In the present instance Bush & Co. claim they know that Saddam Hussein will unleash weapons of mass destruction against the world unless he is stopped by the USA. Now, if this were true, taking action against him would be warranted -- just precisely what action is yet another question. But I and millions of others do not know that it is true.

The real issue then is whether we should have confidence, trust, in what Bush & Co. claim in this matter, a very, very important one that means life or death for thousands of people. Those who do not know what Bush & Co. claim to know simply have no sufficient basis for confidence in these people to grant them this trust and thus to believe what they supposedly believe, namely, that Saddam Hussein should be attacked by the US military.

It is, of course, something of a gamble for those of us "not in the know." Perhaps Bush & Co. are right. But that gamble is just that, a gamble and there is no simple way to take sides when people who ask for one's trust have done so little to earn the trust.