[Cboldt]

Blix isn't just a fact-finder. It's a sensitive political job where absolute truth is not actually the objective. Blix gets a lot of criticism here because most people don't understand the nature of his job at the U.N.

I'll take a stab at it. He was hired by the UN. He is therefore beholden to the employer. If the UN was truley a force, its words would have force behind them. The UN does not have that quality. So, to keep the boss (UN) happy, he is an obedient servant. Acting as he must, to preserve the illusion of imprtance and effectiveness.

I'll be quite happy if I see that charade (the UN) end in my lifetime.

[Howlin]

Where does it say in Blix's job description that he should give PRESS CONFERENCES!

[George W. Bush]

The real GWB vehemently disagrees with you and made that quite clear tonight.

I was just saying that Blix is in a diplomatic job with a lot of political issues involved. There are certain facts that Blix just doesn't want to present.

If he were strictly a fact-finder, we'd already have all the evidence Bush wants presented. This is why Blair's man, Straw, was working today to ratchet the pressure to make Blix produce the real report tomorrow, the 160-page document with the real evidence against Saddam.