Bush Demands Quick Action to Disarm Iraq (THE GAME IS OVER)

AP ^ | February 6, 2003 | BARRY SCHWEID

[Indy Pendance]

WASHINGTON (AP) -- In the face of stiff opposition from allies, President Bush said Thursday that world leaders "must not back down" from Saddam Hussein and demanded quick action to disarm Iraq.

"The game is over," he declared. "Saddam Hussein will be stopped."

Bush said he would be open to a second U.N. resolution on Iraq, following up one approved last November, but only if it led to prompt disarmament.

"The Security Council must not back down when those demands are defied and mocked by a dictator," Bush said. If the U.N. fails to act, "The United States, along with a growing coalition of nations, is resolved to take whatever action is necessary to defend ourselves and disarm the Iraqi regime," he said.

Bush spoke after meeting with privately with Powell to discuss efforts to win U.N. approval of a resolution specifically authorizing use of force. Powell, who laid out the U.S. case to the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday, told lawmakers Thursday that the Iraqi situation would be brought to a conclusion "one way or another" in a matter of weeks.

Sticking largely to the case outlined by Powell on Wednesday, Bush said there is no doubt Saddam is not complying.

"Saddam Hussein recently authorized Iraqi field commanders to use chemical weapons, the very weapons the dictator tells the world he does not have," Bush said.

"Saddam Hussein has made Iraq into a prison, poison factory and a torture chamber for patriots and dissidents," Bush said. "Saddam Hussein has the motive and the means and the recklessness and the hatred to threaten the American people. Saddam Hussein has to be stopped."

He said, "The same terrorist network operating out of Iraq is responsible for the murder - the recent murder - of an American diplomat, Lawrence Foley."

Foley, a U.S. Agency for International Development official, was killed last November outside his home in Amman, Jordan.

"Saddam Hussein was given a final chance, he is throwing that chance away. The dictator of Iraq is making his choice," Bush said.

Foreign ministers responded mostly with calls for more weapons inspections after Powell's U.N. presentation, in which he asserted that Iraq was shifting and hiding weapons and missile programs from the current inspectors.

Powell told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that most of the statements read by foreign ministers after his speech had been prepared beforehand. He said he detected a shift in attitude when he talked to 13 of the ministers in private afterward.

Still, Bush and Powell were considering ways to attract more support for the possibility of using force to disarm Iraq.

Powell told the committee Bush would welcome a second resolution and "many members of the Council would not only welcome it, some of them would say we require one for participation in whatever might come."

A resolution approved unanimously by the Council in November authorized a new round of U.N. weapons inspections and warned Iraq of serious consequences if it defied earlier resolutions requiring it to get rid of weapons of mass destruction.

The Bush administration has taken the position that the November resolution was sufficient backing for the use of force. But France, among other nations, does not agree.

[jacquej]

Well, I am gonna go for Feb 15th as the best date to do in the evil one, and his ilk. They may not take my lowly advice, but if they do not, then they are fools.

Seriously, friends. We need to push for a hit on Saddam on or about the 15th of Feb. It is the date when he will feel it the most.

[Buggman]

A friend at work had the best line about this:

"What was Saddam THINKING??? He pissed off a TEXAN with a GUN!"

Yours in Truth,

[txradioguy]

Let's not forget that Gen. Franks AND The Pres. share the same hometown. The Iraqis are gonna learn once and for all that you DON'T MESS WITH TEXAS!!!


"He used to control a country, now he's lucky if he controls a cave." GWB 2001


Are you listening Saddam?

[ARCADIA]

Remember we do not need ground troops to start this thing. The airwar is about to begin and the UN has hours to get its $hit together. They have one choice. Pass a resolution authorizing the use of force, or get passed over. There is nothing left to debate, the brakes are in the off position. Let's Roll!!!

[txradioguy]

Agreed. Let's kick the tires and light the fires Big Daddy!

[evad]

Let the 6 day war begin.

[Sir Beowolf]

Ain't Good to have This President,Kick it

[Momaw Nadon]

Attack on Iraq Betting Pool

[L`enn]

I watched the address. While all the talking heads are saying Bush said he will accept a 2nd resolution as gospel, I did not get the same read. The was a lot of fuzziness in the speech as far as next steps. Never once did he say EXACTLY what was on tap. The key sentence I beleive in the address was "The game is over". What is going to happen, and I believe it is soon, and not tied to a second resolution, I feel is already in the works and on a fast track.

[L`enn]

The game is over
Bush was silent on a U.N. timetable

One sentence, one bit of analysis, all you need to know about what was intended by the address. Easy to fill in the blanks with just these two lines.

[L`enn]

I have a feeling that the troops are already in place, and leaks about waiting until they are in place is disinformation. And I believe that waiting for a moonless night is a non-issue. If we had a better matched adversary it may be. The only way that the Iraqis can be on the same playing field as us is by using WMD. And now is the time to strike while their main WMD focus is playing hide-and-seek with them with the inspectors.

[Blood of Tyrants]

now is the time to strike while their main WMD focus is playing hide-and-seek with them with the inspectors.

I have reasoned the same thing. If they are busy hiding them, then they deny themselves the use of them.

[maxamillion]

I got the same read. We'll be bombing before the weekend, before Blix & his cronies get there to become human sheilds...

[El Gato]

Indeed, the train does appear to be pulling out of the station. Time to get on board or be left behind. Remember, you are either with us, or against us.

[El Gato]

Ah yes, the nu-clear wessel "Enterprise". Soon Saddam will wish he could say "Beam me up Abdul" and end up somewhere other than his collapsed and burning bunker.

[El Gato]

"He used to control a country, now he's lucky if he controls a cave." GWB 2001

Are you listening Saddam?

Saddam will be wishing he controlled a cave, or even had one to hide in. His bunkers aren't going to cut the mustard against the new generation of "bunker busters".

[Contra]

"The game is over" sounds like there is no turning back from war, not that there was any ever doubt.

[justa-hairyape]

Good points. Its not only the coalition troops that are at stake here, Saddam can threaten the entire region. All indications are that he is maniacal and diabolical. He may try to take out as many people as he can. Then there is also the issue of North Korea. The faster Saddam is gone, the quicker we can deal with North Korea. Which has recently stated that they view a first strike against the US as plausable. Overall in the present situation, it may be better to strike faster with less, then to strike later with more.

[Mustang]

...Saddam, look at your cards. You're holding Ace's and 8's.

Thank God GWB is playing in this global poker game. (can anyone imagine just how dire it would be if algore had won?)

Mustang sends.

[NordP]

"Bush said he would be open to a second U.N. resolution on Iraq, following up one approved last November, but only if it led to prompt disarmament."

ENGLISH TRANSLATION: Put your names on the dotted line, or you don't get squat when this thing is over.

Kinda like what George used to tell us.... "Be a Citizen, Not a Spectator!"

MAN....WE ARE SO FORTUNATE TO HAVE ADULTS IN THE WHITE HOUSE!

go GEORGE go!!! YOU ARE THE BEST!

NordP