The Clarke Affair

From Tim Russert's interview with Dick Clarke on "Meet the Press" Sunday:

Russert: But Saddam is gone, and that's a good thing?

Clarke: Saddam gone is a good thing. If Fidel were gone, it would be a good thing. If Kim Il Sung were gone, it would be a good thing.

Leaving aside the fact that Kim Il Sung died a decade ago, I wish Mr. Russert's next question was "What is your point?"

I've had several people offer this same line of thinking to me regarding the liberation of Iraq. "Saddam was bad, but if we start disposing bad dictators where do we start?"

The answer to that question is so staggeringly simple that it alludes people. The answer is "we decide".