[patriciaruth]

GWB didn't call a conference to make the comments he wound up making.

Yes, he did. It was to preempt the effect of the Blix report coming the next day.

[norton]

Dunno...
a preemptive strike would want to trump their hand.
Nothing in the GWB conference rose to that level.
I still wonder if he had other things in work that missed...
or were delayed.

As to #48: SOMETHING has changed in the BinLaden PR program.
A first generation stand-in with reason to shun face time is not at all out of the question.