Posted on 02/02/2002 7:49:21 PM PST by ATOMIC_PUNK
WASHINGTON: North Korea yesterday blustered that it was on the brink of war with the US after President George W. Bush renewed his attacks on the "axis of evil" of so-called rogue states.
Mr Bush again labelled Iran, Iraq and North Korea the world's most dangerous regimes, warning they could face US action and prompting speculation about where the war on terror would lead after Afghanistan.
His warning, raised first in his State of the Nation address on Tuesday, drew an angry reaction from Muslim countries throughout the Middle East. But the most blunt message response came from North Korea. A spokesman for strongman Kim Jong Il said the nation was ready for war and had been wise to develop "powerful offensive and defensive means". We are sharply watching the disturbing moves of the United States that have pushed the situation to the brink of war," the Foreign Ministry spokesman said.
As the secretive communist regime's propaganda machine went into overdrive, North Korean state media said US warplanes had carried out scores of reconnaissance flights in recent weeks in preparation for an attack. The spokesman said Mr Bush's speech was "little short of declaring a war".
Undaunted by the strength of the reaction in the Middle East to his speech, Mr Bush reiterated his accusations against the three countries and warned that Washington was ready to act. He said all three nations were developing weapons of mass destruction. "They need to know our intention is to hold them accountable and the rest of the world needs to be with us, because these weapons can be pointed at them as easily as at us," he said. Iran, which Washington describes as the main state sponsor of terror ism, called Mr Bush -thirsty for human blood", while the Iraqi regime of Sad Hussein branded him "stupid, arrogant and irresponsible".
Former secretary o state Madeleine Albrigh also condemned the "axis of evil" speech, calling it "big mistake". She said many in the international community believed the US h "lost its mind" because of the way Mr Bush handled foreign policy. "I think it was a big mistake to lump those three countries together," she said. "They are very different from each other." That warning risked alienating foreign allies she said. We know that they are (already) not supportive of what we are doing in lraq or Iran or North Korea, so I don't know what the value is." But US officials said there were no plans for, any military action against the three countries. Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said the US was not about to open three more fronts in the war against terror now centred on Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, in New York, US Secretary of State Colin Powell yesterday urged world leaders to crush the cause of terrorism by stamping out poverty. Speaking at the World Economic Forum, Mr Powell said' We have to go after poverty, we have to go after despair." AFP
If you don't have the guts to answer this, I understand.
As Secretary Rumsfeld has pointed out, the best defense, currently, is a good offense. Let these scumbag terrorists and political tyrants sweat, not knowing where or how the next attack will come. Will it be a daisy cutter, a squad of special forces, a couple of divisions of airborne, or a "colleague" intrigued by the idea of taking a new direction? Meanwhile, we develop the intel, NMD, and space based weapon systems to constitute a true defense. Bush is brilliant. By the time the rest of the world catches up, we will have remade the international structure to protect ourselves...BIG TIME.
Wonder if Powell is going to wind up in the woodshed before this is all over?
He hasn't exactly been aligning himself with the rest of the Administration.
The fact that Clinton mistook her for a Secretary of State angers me to no end.
Would like to see the context of this quote. For example, if it is followed by: "And that is exactly what we have done in Afghanistan--give them the golden opportunity to pursue their national destiny free of interference from scheming neighbors, mad clerics, or terrorists with fat wallets"; this would be excellent. Hope this was the thrust of his message.
Thought I read it right here actually.
Or it might be an ideological clash. Time will tell I suppose.
Do you remember that Chavez chick who lied to Dubya? He wasted no time in offloading her. So I am willing to bet that if Powell actually pushes him on the WOT, he's gonna be taking a trip to the woodshed.
If it's bad enough, it may be a one way trip..
And this from a women who didn't know she was Jewish.
Hey man, don't be so harsh.
Hillary didn't know she was Jewish either till just prior to the election. :)
What President Bush is doing is what should of been done years ago. If you can't understand what this fight is all about, I suggest you ponder this possibility!. Just how long will it be until one of these terroist groups purchase a nuclear weapon from a country like Iraq, North Korea or some other oppressive regime and floats it on a boat off of one of our shores and kills 2 or 3 million innocent people? We must ignore spineless people like yourself and continue defending what we hold dear. FREEDOM. As president Bush said on sept. 14th, 2001 "This conflict was begun on the timing and terms of others. It will end in a way, and an hour, of our choosing"
I salute President Bush for his strength and leadership when this country needs it most.
As usual, history will prove vigilance always wins the day. God bless Mr. Bush.
Uh, "they" would be the illegal foreign campaign contributors to the Democratic National Commitee...
There are those who say that Powell is generally tight with GWB, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Rice, et. al. after the decision is made, and is just playing a part to BS the dodos. Don't think I buy it, but who knows for sure.
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