Keeping Hands Off

As Saddam's loyalists pound the rebels, the carnage inside Iraq poses a quandary with no attractive alternatives for the U.S.

Is George Bush supporting Saddam Hussein? The question sounds insane, but a number of critics charge that he is, in effect, by not helping the rebels fighting to oust the archdemon. Bush, after all, denounced the Iraqi dictator as being in some respects "worse than Hitler," organized a multinational crusade to crush his military power and repeatedly called for his overthrow. For the past four weeks, Shi'ite Muslims in the south and Kurds in the north have been trying to accomplish just that. Yet after Bush met with his top national security advisers last week, the President made it clear that...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!