I appreciate Hitchens' maxim of "Do not make the best the enemy of the good." But when he says things like Wolfowitz is "a step-up" from Henry K, he, at best, makes the worst the foil of the bad.
Also, one thing Hitchens ignores (or denies) is that the proceeds of the Oil For Food program do not go into Saddam's private coffers, but are keep in a UN-controlled escrow account at the Bank of Paris in New York City. And EPIC (www.saveageneration.org) accounts for the descrepency between northern Iraq and the rest of the country by noting:
1. The North has far more support from the international community, with three times the number of NGOs.
2. Northern Iraq is not having a fifth of their aid shaved off for reparations to Kuwait. Also, unlike Central and Southern regions, the North receives currency rather than commodities form the Oil-for-Food program. This allows the North to hire workers and transportation, whereas the use of commodities in the Central and South does not.
3. Northern Iraq consists of only 15% of the population and the land, but has nearly half its agriculture. This provides a greater supply of local food sources.
4. As Desert Storm bombing was focused in the South, it has far greater devastation to its civilian infrastructure, including water treatment facilities.
5. The North has more porous boarders, allowing for cross-boarder support not available to the other regions.
6. The north-to-south flow of rivers means less sewage contamination of the North's water supply. Water-borne diseases are the primary culprit in the drastic climb in child mortality rates.
It's a hard sell for Hitchens to advocate the defense and even liberation of Iraqi civil society while supporting the economic sanctions, the toll of which falls upon Iraqi civil society more than the Ba'ath regime. Having argued against the sanctions for some time, I know Iraq = Saddam is not a formula Baghdad has exclusive rights to. It's a common defense of economic sanctions as well, against "de-linking" military from economic sanctions.
-- Shane
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