"Well, that pretty much settles it ladies and gentlemen. We're gonna blow Saddam's ass away!"
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Posted on 09/19/2002 7:54:57 AM PDT by PhiKapMom
Remarks by the President in Photo Opportunity with Secretary of State Colin Powell
The Oval Office
9:50 A.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. I appreciate our Secretary of State coming by to brief the Vice President and me and Condoleezza Rice about our progress in working with the United Nations, convincing the United Nations Security Council to firmly deal with a threat to world peace.
Before we talk about that, I do want to express our condolences to those who lost their lives in Israel. It's been back-to-back suicide bombings. We strongly condemn terror. We strongly condemn violence. And we continue to send our message to the good people of that region that if you're interested in peace, that if you want people to be able to grow up in a peaceful world, all parties must do everything they can to reject and stop violence.
At the United Nations Security Council it is very important that the members understand that the credibility of the United Nations is at stake, that the Security Council must be firm in its resolve to deal with a truth threat to world peace, and that is Saddam Hussein. That the United Nations Security Council must work with the United States and Britain and other concerned parties to send a clear message that we expect Saddam to disarm. And if the United Nations Security Council won't deal with the problem, the United States and some of our friends will.
That's the message the Secretary of State has delivered forcefully. That's the message that he will continue to carry.
And, Mr. Secretary, I appreciate your hard work. You're doing a fine job.
SECRETARY POWELL: Thank you, Mr. President.
THE PRESIDENT: And we're proud of your efforts.
SECRETARY POWELL: Thank you, sir.
THE PRESIDENT: I'll be glad to answer a few calls -- answers, starting with Ron.
Q How many of our friends are willing to join the United States in this effort?
THE PRESIDENT: Ron, I think time will tell. I think you're going to see a lot of nations -- that a lot of nations love freedom. They understand the threat. They understand that the credibility of the United Nations is at stake. They heard me loud and clear when I said, either you can be the United Nations, a capable body, a body able to keep the peace, or you can be the League of Nations. And we're confident that people will follow our lead.
Q Sir, the chief weapons inspector is going to be briefing the U.N. Security Council today, and there have already been some reports that, in his talks with the Iraqis, that they're limiting access to certain sites. Are those reports true? And do you think they're trying to --
THE PRESIDENT: Well, I haven't gotten a report from what he intends to say. But let me give you just some general observations. First of all, there are no negotiations to be held with Iraq. They have nothing to negotiate. They're the people who said that they would not have weapons of mass destruction. The negotiations are over. It is up to the U.N. Security Council to lay out resolutions that confirms what Iraq has already agreed to, see.
Secondly, I don't trust Iraq, and neither should the free world. For 11 years, they have deceived the world. They have said, we'll conform to resolutions. They've never conformed to resolutions. They've never conformed to the agreement that they laid out 11 years ago. Sixteen times they've defied Security resolutions.
And so, they -- the burden of proof is -- must be place squarely on their shoulders. But there's no negotiations about whether or not they've been telling the truth or not.
Let's see here -- Mark.
Q Mr. President, are you going to send Congress your proposed resolution today? And are you asking for a blank check, sir?
THE PRESIDENT: I am sending suggested language for a resolution. I want -- I've asked for Congress' support to enable the administration to keep the peace. And we look forward to a good, constructive debate in Congress. I appreciate the fact that the leadership recognizes we've got to move before the elections. I appreciate the strong support we're getting from both Republicans and Democrats, and look forward to working with them.
Q Mr. President, how important is it that that resolution give you an authorization of the use of force?
THE PRESIDENT: That will be part of the resolution, the authorization to use force. If you want to keep the peace, you've got to have the authorization to use force. But it's -- this will be -- this is a chance for Congress to indicate support. It's a chance for Congress to say, we support the administration's ability to keep the peace. That's what this is all about.
Q Will regime change be part of it?
THE PRESIDENT: Yes. That's the policy of the government.
Campbell, congratulations, you got two questions in one day. And it wasn't even a follow-up -- that's a brilliant performance.
END 9:56 A.M. EDT
Couldn't be any clearer than that. In diplomatic language, for the Presidednt no-less to say that, is like a big kick in the teeth.
Now, I just hope we are preparing for the full setting and are also preparing for Iran, Syria, Lybia, N. Korea and the Red Chinese if they want any part of this.
"If you are not with us, you are with the terrorists."
LET'S ROLL
Pinging some people that may not be on either of your lists!
I LOVE this guy!
I saw the whole thing on Fox and this was my favorite part!! Boy does Pres. Bush have backbone!!!
I thought Bush was a NWO traitor? I thought Bush was not a true conservative, yet indeed perhaps a liberal? And Powell? He was labeled a traitor of amazing proportion. I read the very same thing on Free Republic by any number of folks that Bush is as bad or worse than Clinton was. I WISH I HAD COMPILED A PING LIST OF THOSE NITWITS!!!
Now we stand on the precipice of Bush single handedly destroying all remaining credibilty of the UN, triggered by its own hypocrisy. Something unimaginable under Clinton or Gore or even Bush 41!!!
All those folks that screamed "US out of the UN" are getting dangerously close to getting their wish, and all I hear is crickets! Hello? Anyone? Bueller? Anyone?
I saw this too. Man, do I love the no nonsense approach President Bush takes! Wimps (like Daschle) just buckle when confronted with real strength.
And the UN is proving to be as irrelevant as our President said it would be.
This is the mark of a grand master negotiator.
"Well, that pretty much settles it ladies and gentlemen. We're gonna blow Saddam's ass away!"
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I just love this guy ..
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