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That's all you need to know about this flick, with one exception.
"The Incredible Two Headed Transplant" is most noted for the trailer
that promoted the movie, the infamous maxim, "kill the head and the
body will die!" As an aside, some will claim that this line was
coined by Hunter S. Thompson. I stand by my assertion that Thompson
got it from the film.
No matter. The point is that this slogan applies very well to our
current situation in regard to Saddam Hussein and Iraq. Wars are
generally won or lost in one of three ways. First, you can vaporize
the place and all it's inhabitants. This is probably a bad idea,
mostly because every time I endorse it I get fired by editors.
The second method involves the use of overwhelming conventional
force. Blow an enemy to smithereens, and you win. Of course, such a
strategy also involves a lengthy occupation, the deaths of your own
men and the loss of valuable infrastructure. Such is to be avoided.
The third, most effective tactic, comes straight from..."The
Incredible Two-Headed Transplant." The best way to leave an enemy
babbling and confused is to take out the guys at the top. Eliminate
their best minds and the authoritarian figurehead and you are well on
your way to victory. Those who reside under a totalitarian regime are
usually prohibited - under penalty of death - from engaging in
original thought. Whack the folks who give them their marching orders
and the mop-up is relatively simple.
So yes...the applicable doctrine as applied to Saddam and friends
should be "kill the head and the body will die." This seems to be the
operational plan contemplated - and rightly so - by the George W
administration.
I am impressed that W is largely ignoring the whining of the media
and Congress in regard to the Iraq threat. Congress wants to be in
charge of when and where an attack takes place, but Bush is having
little truck with that nonsense. There's a reason that a President -
the Commander and Chief of the Military - has the legal authority to
bust-up an enemy without the approval of Congress. Congress would
never make a decision, instead wondering how such a move would play
in their home districts and whether or not they could snag defense
contracts that would increase jobs and buy themselves votes.
There's also a reason that a President doesn't listen to the press.
Most media conglomerates are far to the left, and care only about
putting a Democrat in office. We recently saw just how unbiased the
national media can be when they "reported" that Attorney General John
Ashcroft had been "rebuffed" (that's what the Washington Post said)
in his attempt to gain greater leeway in terms of issuing wire-taps
and surveillance on suspected terrorists. The judge who denied the
request cited 75 cases in which the Justice Department had submitted
fraudulent and erroneous claims in order to spy on innocent citizens.
What the Post didn't mention once - and most other media outlets
largely ignored as well - is that 74 of the 75 doctored requests
occurred during the Clinton years, and were submitted by Janet Reno
and friends. The one remaining case began in the Reno years and was
in process when Ashcroft was appointed. The media further failed to
report that the judge publicly praised Ashcroft for his attention to
legitimate motive and for cleaning up the mess he'd been left.
Why doesn't the President doesn't pay heed to the press? Easy. They
would suggest we send a formal request to both the UN and Saddam and
maybe Barbra Streisand, asking if it would be ok if we shot the
Baghdad Butcher in the head, and if so, what might be a convenient
time?
You'll note that neither George W nor Dick Cheney has come right out
and used the words "war" or "invasion." The phrase they have used is
"regime change." Wisely, they know that Iraq is loaded with
opposition to Saddam, opposition that currently does not have the
power to overthrow a man who rules with an iron fist and murders any
who are suspected of dissent. But, send that man to a better life
and the house of cards will collapse.
Wait and see. I suspect our present lack of definitive action is
simply a bid for time, a period when our side is gathering human
intelligence information, attempting to pinpoint Saddam's patterns
and deciding when the moment for the hit will be clean, quick and
final.
"Kill the head and the body will die." Sometimes even liberal
Hollywood gets it right.
Ron Marr is the Editor and Publisher of The Trout Wrapper magazine
(http://www.troutwrapper.com). His column also appears in newspapers
throughout Montana and South Dakota. Living deep in Montana's Tobacco
Root Mountains with a pack of happily unruly canines, he can be
reached directly at ron1359@yahoo.com
Published by permission.
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