He seems to be doing that in a lot of cases; terrorism, taxes, appointments to the Federal Bench. He is going forward even though some say it is political suicide. He doesn't seem to care. He's acting like he doesn't NEED this job. And the wonderful thing is that he doesn't!! So I believe he feels free in his heart to try some big things he believes will help the country, even if it means losing some points in the polls. He realized that polls are finicky things, as are the American people! So he'll just lead, and watch people follow!
And helpless governors wake
To resume their compulsory game
Who can release them now,
Who can reach the deaf,
Who can speak for the dumb?
- W.H. Auden, September 1, 1939
As we walked back, Bush again brought up Iraq. His blueprint or model for decision making in any war against Iraq, he told me, could be found in the story I was attempting to tell--the first months of the war in Afghanistan and the largely invisible CIA covert war against terrorism worldwide."You have the story," he said. Look hard at what you've got, he seemed to be saying. It was all there if it was pieced together--what he had learned, how he had settled into the presidency, his focus on larger goals, how he made decisions, why he provoked his war cabinet and pressured people for action.
I was straining to understand the meaning of this. At first his remark and what he had said before seemed to suggest he was leaning towards an attack on Iraq. Earlier in the interview, however, he had said, "I'm the kind of person that wants to make sure that all risk is assessed. But a president is constantly analyzing, making decisions based upon risk, particularly in war--risk taken relative to what can be achieved." What he wanted to achieve seemed clear. He wanted Saddam out.
Before he got back to his truck, Bush added another piece to the Iraqi puzzle. He had not yet seen a successful plan for Iraq, he said. He had to be careful and patient.
"A president, he added, "likes to have a military plan that will be successful."
— Bush at War, Bob Woodward
Peggy Ping, Lou!