My Aisling

France & Russia about to be unmasked

On February 9, 2004, the WSJ Opinion Journal published an article that should have started a firestorm. The mainstream press should have screamed for heads on platters, taken nothing less than Spanish Inquisition-style trials followed by Salem-like witch burnings. But they were silent. As the saying goes, the silence was deafening ...

They were silent because the alleged facts in the article - Saddam spreading to friends millions of dollars through the UN Oil-for-Food Program - made immediate sense. Order came from chaos. Afterall, in their heart-of-hearts, they (the American press) know they oppose W because he's W - but why is France and Russia doing the same Stonewall Waltz? All of a sudden it was so very clear - the quid pro quo: Russia and France sold weapons to Iraq despite the weapons ban, entered into contracts for the future sale of oil, acted as if Saddam were a rich-but-eccentric friend; individuals in French and Russian governments greased the system by receiving millions of dollars freed up through abuse of the Oil-for-Food Program.

A couple of days ago, the Opinion Journal attempted to re-light the fire. This time they focused purely on the UN role, and the allegation that the administrator of the program, Benon Sevan, personally profited. The flame spread. The UN has agreed to investigate. As you can read, Iraq has already hired accountants and lawyers.

How long will the investigation take? How long before the results are known? I think those questions are relevant to Russia but not to France ... and, personally, I don't care about some career diplomat (Sevan) - he can twist in the wind forever - my focus is to unmask the reasons behind the Security Council stonewalling by France and Russia.

Russia will deny everything to the final day and beyond. When it is irrefutable that someone in their government did take money, did authorize the sale of weapons, then they will allege that the person acted alone. He will be shot ... unless, of course, he commits a KGB-induced suicide in the meantime.

France, I suspect, will try to anticipate the findings and will do a mea culpa. They will adopt the victim position and try to survive. The government will be gutted of infidels.

So the timing of the investigation is irrelevant; the timing is relevant only vis-a-vis a French self-exposure well before our November 2004 election.

So let's help them in the discussions they must be having at this very moment. Do they wait and hope Kerry is elected, or do they rely on W? What if W is re-elected? Do not forgot, monsieur, that W is a Christian. He understands repentance. He works towards the future, not dwelling on the past. Kerry is focused on political expediency - will you be useful to him at the time of your need? Gaze into your crystal ball and let me know what you see.

The choice seems obvious. Now to face your domestic issue - can Chirac disembowel a few politicians and not himself?