United States, Britain Give Consideration to Compromise

Los Angeles Times ^ | January 24, 2003 | Robin Wright

[Mossad1967]

WASHINGTON -- The outlines of a possible compromise on Iraq began to take shape Thursday, as the United States and Britain seriously considered allowing U.N. weapons inspections to continue for several weeks in hopes of making the case with skeptical allies and public opinion.

[ChicagoRepublican]

This can't be true. This isn't true. I don't think so! If Bush lets the charade go on then Iraq will be let off the hook. Bush is not a ponce.

[Petronski]

Let's talk a moment about your complete BS trial balloons directly from the author, a PBS and LAT lackey of the first order.

Who wants to buy a bridge?

[Mossad1967]

Wow, aren't you smart?

[nhoward14]

HA! Good one!

Bush has cleaned and oiled his guns and his truck's gas tank is full. It's time to start the turkey shoot.

[Petronski]

I study at you feet oh learned one.

[Mossad1967]

G-D BLESS YOU MY FRIEND!

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

Yeah, we're about to compromise. The terms are going to be delivered from B-1s, B-2s, and B-52s sometime after midnight on a moonless night.

[TheExploited]

All signs point to war on or about February 2. The author is just engaged in some wishful thinking.

[Torie]

The US was getting a bit out on a limb. Apparently, it realized it. I appreciate that it is difficult to get this exactly right, with so many competing considerations. The pressure though must be intense with all that hardware and troops now in the field. The puppy will be a test of the administations mettle and skill in threading the needle.

[mystery-ak]

Huh!.....have they watched the news at all today....

[Kevin Curry]

Saddam's rope-a-dope strategy is beginning to work. The European team he has in his corner are coaching him well.

[PhiKapMom]

You can see things building all week as the Administration gets their people out in front. Guess they didn't bother to read what Wolfowitz and Powell along with the British had to say!

[plain talk]

In the larger scheme of things not sure it matters much whether the bombs fall beginning or end of Feb. If Bush feels he needs to look like he's compromising while buying more time to get another 50K troops or so in place, so be it.

[Bombard]

More disinformation for Iraq!!!!!

[nunya bidness]

The US was getting a bit out on a limb.

How so? The entire "War with Iraq" has been a figment of the press and people outside of the administration. No one in the cabinet has made a specific claim of war.

I appreciate that it is difficult to get this exactly right, with so many competing considerations.

It's only as difficult as getting all the players to agree to the same terms and offer an alternative that eliminates them from access to the oil. Russia, China, and France all have specific interests in post inspection Iraq. They don't want to be left out if we go in, because then all bets are off.

The thing to watch is how Turkey positions itself prior to the "regime change", if the change includes a new government which is less friendly to the Kurds then the Turks may restake their claim to the Mosul and Kirkuk provinces.

The pressure though must be intense with all that hardware and troops now in the field. The puppy will be a test of the administations mettle and skill in threading the needle.

There's no pressure as long as the troops and ships are on a peaceful footing. Once they engage the price goes through the roof. Including nation building.

Look for a diplomatic solution with minimal occupation to enforce the UN's findings. All the players get their piece and the world gets to drive SUV's. But if someone gets greedy, the whole thing could turn in to a mission creep to end all others.

[Torie]

What exactly are you predicting will happen? Delphic prophesies are fun to parse, but you ain't the Delphic oracle, so I feel free to request you to be a bit less enigmatic.

[CyberAnt]

I agree with you 100%

This is just the appeasers trying to shame the Bush people into appeasment - again! Give it up LAT

[nunya bidness]

No war. At least not like the press is portraying.

The absolute minimum of engagement to ensure enforcement of the UN's mandate. "Regime change" has become "disarmament" which opens the possibility that Saddam may stay. Have you seen the replacements?

[TexKat]

Has Robin Wright been watching Iraqui tv or just smoking some of that funny stuff. I have been watching cable news all day with remote in my lap switching from Fox, to MSNBc, to CNN. I watched Powell and Jack Straw, Wolfowitz, Ari Fletcher, a senators comment after their briefing, and I heard nothing like this. The Hans Blix report is this coming Monday, GWB speech to the nation on Tuesday, and sometime next week Bush will meet with Blair, and sometime next week or the week after meeting with the UN.