Powell: Bush sends Iraq a 'chilling message'

CNN ^ | Monday, November 26, 2001

[JohnHuang2]

WASHINGTON (CNN) --Iraqi President Saddam Hussein should take President Bush's demand Monday that Iraq allow international weapons inspections to resume as a "very sober, chilling message," Secretary of State Colin Powell said.

During a Rose Garden appearance, Bush said Hussein "needs to let inspectors back in his country to show us that he is not developing weapons of mass destruction."

[Valin]

Not Iran. In fact they might be happy to join in. It could a case of, lets you and him fight. The winner gets their very own B52 strike.

[GretchenEE]

I think what keeps Rumsfeld and Fleischer so patient is that they see the end from the beginning in terms of American national security, lives saved or lost, etc., and daily remind themselves how important or not important these little twerps in the press briefings are to that purpose.

One does get the impression that most of the WH press corps is comprised of interns. From a local high school.

[Winged Elf]

I say remove 'em all and turn the whole place into a giant parking lot.

[onyx]

LOL! One does get the impression that most of the WH press corps is comprised of interns. From a local high school.

My husband stated almost the exact same thing tonight while we watched the C-SPAN re-run of today's press briefing conducted by Ari Fleisher!

Husband said, "but for the old bag in the front row (Helen Thomas) the press gaggle looks as though they're fresh out of anti-America journalism schools."

[Sceaming_Gerbil]

Will this President Bush actually allow the military to go in and finish the job in Iraq (remove Saddam from power) this time?

[Clinton's a rapist]

I think what keeps Rumsfeld and Fleischer so patient is that they see the end from the beginning in terms of American national security, lives saved or lost, etc., and daily remind themselves how important or not important these little twerps in the press briefings are to that purpose.

Quite. That's what it means to be an adult.

[Nick Danger]

The president's comments did serve to highlight a debate within the administration over what to do about Iraq.

• Hawks such as Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, nicknamed the "bombers," advocate strikes on Iraq.
• Powell is seen as the leader of a faction that urges restraint

The still-doesn't-get-it CNN continues to peddle the Great Liberal Hope that there is a "debate" going on in the White House, as opposed to a wide range of options being made available to the President.

At this point they are so desperate to sell this line that here they actually resort to designating Powell as the person who is "seen as" the leader of a faction that urges restraint. Seen by whom? By hopeful liberals in the media, that's who.

Notice they don't say that Powell is the leader of such a faction. They can't, because in the next paragraph Powell is going to call the Iraqi regime "evil" and use the Official Diplomatic Code Word ("all of his options") that means "Blowing them up is definitely on the table."

What we have here is a U.S. media establishment that has totally made up a struggle that they wish was happening. They then report this to the public over and over, citing each other as their source. They've gone past shading the truth and highlighting only the stories that fit their agenda, now they are literally making up news and reporting it as fact. It's all become a kind of show business that deals in fiction as readily as it deals in fact. Rather than "news," it's all about getting on TV so that I can hide in a journalism suit and promote my agenda.

[JohnHuang2]

Bravo, Nick, for a mouthful of truth. Well said. My sentiments exactly.