Posted on 05/03/2003 11:20:54 AM PDT by ATOMIC_PUNK
Front: Weapons in Iraq will be found, Bush says
CRAWFORD, Texas (May 3, 2003 1:17 p.m. EDT) - President Bush expressed unshakable confidence Saturday about finding banned weapons in Iraq and complained that Tariq Aziz, one of Saddam Hussein's closest deputies, is not cooperating with U.S. forces who have him in custody.
Bush said the deputy prime minister, the most visible face of the former Iraqi government other than Saddam, "still doesn't know how to tell the truth."
The president, at a news conference on his ranch with visiting Australian Prime Minister John Howard, expressed confidence that the United States will locate the suspected cache of biological and chemical weapons.
"Iraq's the size of the state of California," he said. "It's got tunnels, caves, all kinds of complexes. We'll find them, and it's just going to be a matter of time to do so."
Aziz surrendered to U.S. forces on April 24, after the collapse of Baghdad. U.S. officials had hoped that Aziz, who made Saddam's case before the world when Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990, could provide information about Saddam's whereabouts and Iraq's weapons. But Bush said Aziz was not cooperating.
"We're learning, for example, that Tariq Aziz still doesn't know how to tell the truth," Bush said. "He didn't know how to tell the truth when he was in office, he doesn't know how to tell the truth as a captive."
But Bush expressed confidence that the U.S. will learn what it needs from lower-ranking officials and ordinary citizens.
Referring to the deck of cards of wanted Iraqis, Bush said, "It may not be the aces, kings, queens and jacks that do the talking, it may be those who are carrying the water for the aces, kings, queens and jacks that do the talking."
The two leaders met after a private dinner Friday night that continued into talks Saturday morning.
At the news conference, both leaders took turns praising the other.
"The prime minister is a man of courage," Bush said. "He understands the responsibilities of freedom. America is really grateful for the sacrifices of the Australian people and the leadership of President John Howard."
Howard praised Bush's leadership, "at times under very great criticism."
He continued: "What was achieved in Iraq was quite extraordinary. The United States, I think has sent a very important message not only to the region but to the rest of the world."
Bush said he hoped to complete a free trade agreement with Australia by the end of the year and have Congress ratify it in 2004.
Howard backed Bush in the Iraq war despite sharp opposition at home, and the president was paying off the IOU by playing host on his Texas ranch.
Bush picked Howard and his wife, Janette, up in northern California on Friday as both men were traveling through the region. Dining together on the ranch in nearby Crawford, the Bushes and Howards had smoked beef tenderloin, grilled okra and green chili cheese grits - the last item a Bush favorite.
Howard's decision to send forces to Iraq ignited mass protests across Australia, with hundreds of thousands attending peace rallies in major cities. In March, after Howard committed troops to the coming war, he was forced to leave his official residence on foot when antiwar protesters barricaded the entrances.
Eventually, the numbers at antiwar demonstrations dwindled to tens of thousands, and Howard's popularity soared.
Bush viewed Howard's leadership as gutsy in the same way he appreciated Prime Minister Tony Blair's pro-U.S. stance in the face of strong opposition at home, senior administration officials said.
Australia sent some 2,000 members of its armed services to the Iraq war. It also deployed military forces to anti-terrorism efforts in Afghanistan.
The anti-terror campaign took on special urgency for Australia after bombings on the Indonesian island of Bali killed 88 Australians last Oct. 12.
The president's treatment of Howard stood in stark contrast to that of Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien, who opposed Bush on the Iraq war.
Bush was scheduled to meet with Chretien in Ottawa on Monday, but the president scrapped the visit.
At the time, White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said the "postponement" was necessary "due to the president's ongoing obligations to help the people of Iraq build a nation that is whole, free and at peace."
Bush will give a speech on the economy in Arkansas on Monday instead. He has not rescheduled the meeting with Chretien.
ROTFLMCO!! I can't come to Canada because I, er, uh, have to shampoo my hair. No wait, I, uh have to give a speech in Arkansas....yeah that's it. I have to give a speech. Sorry old boy, but maybe we can get together some other time.
As to Osama, we knew where he was before (remember, Clinton refused to accept him when it was offered by the Somali government). Now it's after 9-11 and he can't be found, but then he's no longer posing the threat to us either. It's pretty hard to plot terrorist attacks when you're running every night. There too, we'll get him.
As long as we are looking for a weapons of mass destruction, we need to have a lot of troops in Iraq.
As long as we have a lot of troops in Iraq, Syria and Iran are paying attention. (You will note that Syria told us they would start dismantling the Hezbollah training sites today.)
If we produce the WMD's too early, we will have less reason to have troops in the area, and instability could occur if we withdraw too early.
Feel free to rant about this, though, along with your democrat friends. You guys never learn that President Bush is a lot smarter than you think, and that he tells the truth. Once again, you will have egg on your faces, but hey, go right ahead. You aren't hurting our side, but your side is beginning to look pretty dumb.
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