"No, No, No, It Wasn't The Rain"

Some people can never seem to grasp the fact that everyone is playing the same game. Essentially, there is only one game being played, and no move can be made that does not influence the game and the other players.

That does not mean that there will be some who claim that one move may not particularly influence another move. In this instance, via Stephen den Beste, it just doesn't hold water.

Diplomacy is one of the greatest creations of mankind. My father taught me the definition of diplomacy that goes: "The ability to tell someone to go to hell in such a way that they look forward to the trip." I recall another definition by a gentleman whose name escapes me who said, "Diplomacy is war delayed," or something similar.

The weakness of the diplomacy of the Western World over the past decade was the at times explicit assumption that war would not happen regardless of the progress of the discussions. With no threat that a dictator would understand in the offing, it is easy to see why they would return with the polite version of, "What are you going to do about it?"

Saddam Hussein is now the example of what we would do about it. Yes, that is a saber making that rattling noise, and yes, it is sharp.