One piece of significant news overshadowed by the capture of Saddam is South Korea's decision to send 3,000 troops to Iraq.  The decision must still be approved by parliament, and there is strong public opposition, so it is not yet a done deal. But it does represent a significant spine—strengthening exercise on the part of Roh, who was elected on a 'peace' platform earlier this year.

One has to wonder if President Roh was helped—along in this decision by the potential bonanza of Iraq reconstruction contracts for South Korea's chaebol contractors. President Bush's much—derided decision to exclude Germany and France from eligibility on the first $18 billion in US taxpayer—funded rebuilding may well have played a decisive role.

Consider the matter if Bush had followed the wishes of the Democrats and the NY Times editorial pages. Would the President of South Korea be impelled to expend a lot of political capital, and alienate many of his own supporters, if there were no economic advantage in it? If France and Germany could actively oppose US aims in Iraq, and still grab a piece of the Iraq action, would Roh have had any incentive to do the right thing?

I think the answer is pretty clear. President Bush is, let's face it, a master strategist. He knows that every move he makes is scrutinized what it signals. He knows that strength is respected, even by those who whine about its application. Thank the Almighty that we have such a man leading us.

Posted by Thomas 12 14 03