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[PRESIDENT] Bush Has Received Pentagon
Options on Attacking Iraq

Excerpt:

ASHINGTON, Sept. 20 — The Pentagon has completed and delivered to President Bush a highly detailed set of military options for attacking Iraq, Pentagon and White House officials said today.

The commander of forces in the Persian Gulf region, Gen. Tommy R. Franks, presented the war-planning document to Mr. Bush in early September, just days before the president spoke to the United Nations on Sept. 12 and demanded that it authorize military action against Saddam Hussein. In his speech, Mr. Bush made clear that the United States was prepared to act unilaterally.

The highly classified plans, which were presented to the Joint Chiefs of Staff shortly after the president was briefed, are the most specific plans the military has presented to Mr. Bush so far.

"The president has options now, and he has not made any decisions," Ari Fleischer, the president's spokesman, said in an interview today. He noted that Mr. Bush had asked Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld in August to send him options that were more concrete than earlier concepts.

< snip >

In early July, Mr. Rumsfeld and General Myers sent General Franks a classified written directive about five pages long, spelling out in detail what the war plan should contain: the role of allies, how to address Iraq's weapons of mass destruction, how to stabilize the country after a war; all issues underlying the primary goal: deposing Mr. Hussein.

Mother to surrender in videotaped beating of girl

Video of this story

09/21/2002

Associated Press

MISHAWAKA, Ind. - A woman seen on a department store security tape punching her 4-year-old daughter plans to surrender Saturday, her attorney said Friday night.

Police have been searching for Madelyne Gorman Toogood since Sept. 13, when a camera in a department store parking lot videotaped her punching and shaking her 4-year-old daughter.

The attorney, Stephen Rosen, said Ms. Toogood is on her way to Chicago and will surrender. She is charged with felony battery to a child.

Indiana police took the search nationwide Wednesday when they released the tape. "We want to get the girl the medical attention she needs," Police Chief Anthony A. Hazen said. "We want to get her to an emergency room and let them examine her."

Ms. Toogood is also wanted in Texas on at least two warrants. Fort Worth police said one warrant involves a shoplifting charge in March. Authorities in White Settlement, a Fort Worth suburb, issued an arrest warrant on an unspecified Class C misdemeanor.

Ms. Gorman's sister, 31-year-old Margaret Daley, who authorities say was present at the time of the incident, was arrested and charged with failure to report child abuse.

Police received more than 1,000 calls about the video, which was first aired Wednesday night.

Staff writer Laurie Fox contributed to this report.

Online at: http://www.dallasnews.com/latestnews/stories/092102dnnatbeating.86c.html

HOWDY, MEEKIE!

Thanks for these links, Meekie. Do so appreciate your bringing us links to threads of interest - you are so thoughtful, and I know that many of us go directly to those threads and either bookmark them for later reading or read right away; we might not have seen them without your links!