Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

DATE=02/18/03

TYPE=U-S OPINION ROUNDUP

TITLE=ANTI-WAR DEMOS

NUMBER=6-12828

BYLINE=ANDREW GUTHRIE

DATELINE=WASHINGTON

EDITOR=ASSIGNMENTS

TELEPHONE=619-3335

CONTENT=

INTRO: U-S newspaper editorial writers have been watching the world-wide anti war protests and opinion is mixed as to whether this is the best time for a U-S led attack to disarm Iraq. We get a sampling now from _____________ in today's U-S Opinion Roundup.

TEXT: Demonstrators in many cities around the world have marched to protest what they feel is an imminent war against Iraq. The U-S press is commenting on the protestors' message. We begin in Florida, where The Miami Herald suggests there is a "Message In The Protests; War against Iraq hasn't been justified."

VOICE: Massive anti-war protests last weekend sent a clear message: in the court of world opinion, the United States has failed to justify its case for war against Iraq. After Friday's divisive U-N Security Council meeting, the worldwide demonstrations only upped the pressure on the United States to allow United Nations diplomacy time to work.

. Notably America's staunchest allies hosted the largest demonstrations, which were in Great Britain, Spain and Italy. Certainly this antiwar sentiment won't be lost in political calculations across Europe and other nations gauging their support for U-S action.

TEXT: A relatively similar view of the marches comes from The [Northern New Jersey, Bergen County] Record.

VOICE: Millions of people around the world made it clear last weekend that they oppose war with Iraq. It was a strong message for President Bush but also for the heads of their own countries. Supporting war now could bring a high political price later. . The momentum has shifted .toward giving the inspectors more time to do their work...

TEXT: However The New York Post calls the demonstrators hypocrites, suggesting:

VOICE: . no one in the "peace movement" ever talks about or to the one-sixth of the Iraqi population that lives in exile. For these people, Iraqis are only real or worth caring about as fantasy victims of an evil America. This is bigotry, pure and simple.

. it's all too telling that none of the demonstrators carried posters calling for S a d d a m to prevent war. Which he could easily do by obeying each of the 17 U-N resolutions aimed at his despicable regime, disarming and going into exile.

And if there were to be no war . and Saddam's newly strengthened regime should stay in power for another 10 or 20 years - - then the "not in our name" crowd will have the blood of his future victims on their hands. . What the demonstrators should have had on their banners were the things they were really calling for: No interference with Saddam's torture chambers!

TEXT: In Nashville, The Tennessean views the demonstrations differently.

VOICE: The most compelling of [the] marches were in the United States and Britain, whose governments seem most determined to strike against Saddam Hussein. The [sight] of throngs of protestors has been stunning. They represent tremendous misgivings among average citizens about using. force . against Saddam.

TEXT: On New York's Long Island, there is concern in the editorial office at Newsday that in its words, the "Peace demonstrators have a point: [President] Bush hasn't made a strong enough case for war now."

VOICE: There is already an inclination, by those who think a war against Iraq is necessary, to dismiss Saturday's massive anti-war demonstrations as the misguided sentiments of a bunch of 1960s wannabes, at best, or the work of leftover lefties who actually believe Saddam Hussein is some type of hero, at worst. This is wrong-headed.

Those in President . Bush's administration, especially, ought to recognize that there is a large swath of public opinion - - both in the United States and abroad - - that holds that a war is not justified at this time, no matter how malevolent Hussein may be.

TEXT: Pennsylvania's Greensburg Tribune-Review disagrees.

VOICE: Should the world be applauded for its mass weekend demonstrations ... Or should those protests be setting off alarms that signal something amiss with the mind-set of the globe? We think it's the latter. . We do not relish war. Only fools do. But we can only cringe at the kind of world that awaits us should Saddam not be disarmed.

TEXT: A somber Denver [Colorado] Post says, in part:

VOICE: Last weekend's massive European protests . shouldn't make President Bush back down from doing the right thing. . At the same time, however, the White House obviously needs to do a better job of salesmanship to get Europeans to understand the threat to world peace . We can't dismiss the protesters as the usual assortment of aging Euro-Bolshies [Editors: short for Bolshevik or Communist] who would take to the streets even if the U-S were handing out free ice cream. . clearly these crowds included many ordinary Europeans fearful of war.

TEXT: On that note, we conclude this editorial sampling on the recent anti-war demonstrations around the world.

NEB/ANG/FC