From Bush’s speech/press conference, it appears that Bush knows exactly what he wants. Unless Saddam Hussein disarms and goes into exile, probably within the next two weeks, Bush has decided that the U.S. is going to war.
Clearly Bush was focused, as though he cares only about the goal. How many times did he say the words “disarmament” and “regime change” or some variation? I lost count.
Bush’s resolve was also apparent in the way he answered the reporters’ questions. Specifically, it was clear in the way that he didn’t answer some of the questions. It was as though he found the concerns underlying certain questions to be distractions. For example, one reporter asked him if the operation in Iraq would be a failure if the U.S. didn’t capture Hussein. Bush never answered that; he only reiterated that there would be regime change in Iraq. It seems that Bush doesn’t care if Hussein hides out in Bora Bora for the next ten years. As long as he’s no longer running Iraq and we’ve taken away his weapons of mass destruction—that’s all that matters to Bush.
It was much the same for the question about why so many of our traditional allies disagree with us, why so many millions have protested recently, and why so many people in the world view America as arrogant. Again, Bush didn’t really answer the question. He stated that we have disagreements with other countries, but that he wanted us to maintain our relationships with those countries. It was as if Bush was saying “Look, we’ve made our case. It’s a convincing one. If other people aren’t convinced, well too bad. I’m through trying to persuade them. Worrying about those who disagree with us is merely a distraction from our objective, disarming Iraq and getting rid of Saddam.”
After tonight’s remarks from Bush, someone close to Hussein had better encourage him to get a move on. Otherwise, the missiles and bombs are coming.
