by Patrick J. Buchanan – October 7, 2002

When Richard Gephardt left the White House with the president’s blessing on a Gephardt-Bush resolution empowering the commander in chief to attack Iraq at a time of his own choosing, congressional resistance instantly crumbled.

The debate is over, the issue settled. If Saddam does not open up his “palaces” to U.N. inspectors, his successor will open them up to U.S. troops.

The president still demands a U.N. resolution authorizing force. But a Security Council refusal to vote for it will not deter him.