Bush To Speak At 0200 GMT [9 EST, 6 PST]

www.stratfor.com ^ | Mar 19, 2003

[Guardian_John]

According to sources in Washington, D.C., President George W. Bush is tentatively scheduled to address the nation at 9 p.m. EST on March 19 (0200 GMT March 20).

[ALOHA RONNIE]

BUSH Doctrine is our Best Defense:

~Bringing DEMOCRACY to the Common Man everywhere is Everyone's Answer~

[cygy2k]

Fox and Drudge just announced it too...

[Semper Paratus]

Drop your socks and grab-- oh, sorry.

[savedbygrace]

Apparently, 48 hours means 48 hours. Whoda thought?

[StockJock]

Who knows what the official warm up procedure is for the President to hold a press conference announcing the start of the war? Exactly how is the media alerted the announcement will be made? How the heck did Stratfor get this so early???

I would assume that calls/faxes/emails are sent to the major media as soon as possible after the president makes the decision? Or, does Ari Fleisher just walk down to the press room and let give everyone a heads up and let it leak out from there? Fav reporters get the tip first?

AP is usually quick on the draw. Is there any type of formal “alert” system used by the media?

The major TV network program directors and news directors must be sitting on pins and needles at this point. Lots of ads have to be pulled in the event of war. Scheduling under such uncertainty must be a real nightmare. Even 10 a ten-minute lead would be welcome.

[dep]

"ari, get me some teevee time at nine o'clock tonight."

"okay, sir. who should i call -- the networks or stratfor?"

dep

[section9]

I strongly suspect that this is disinformation, designed for Saddam's ears. Notice that it is an unsourced rumor that popped out of nowhere? Stratfor immediately picked it up. There is no announcement on FOX.

B-52's are probably being redeployed to Diego Garcia and possibly Saudi.

The object of the exercise is to get the bad guys all keyed up for tonight. They stay up all night, eyes peeled, looking for planes and paratroopers. Everybody relaxes about 5 am Baghdad time. At 0545, all hell breaks loose.

That's one possibility.

But seriously, you won't see Bush on TV until after the airborne troops have dropped on their targets. Confusion is our ally in this war.

Be Seeing You,

Chris

[TexKat]

Ping

[LayoutGuru2]

Just saw the following comment at CNN's website:

• Official says Bush could wait to give "go" order and let Iraqi military "stare up at the sky for a little bit."

[floriduh voter]

Spongebob Squarepants: The Lost Episode = be there Friday night starting at 8:00 est. TELL YOUR KID(S).

Don't most FR's have at least 3 tvs and 4 radios like me? LOL In fact, I could use one more ear (Maybe I will evolve).

[The Wizard]

If this turns out to be true I'll be sending $100 to FreeRepublic.com for the best damn service in America

[dep]

maybe it's time to start a pool as to how long it will be before iraq's u.n. ambassador seeks asylum here.

dep

[SierraWasp]

Yes... We in California already knew all about this. He's going to announce that since Algore has joined the Board of Directors of Apple Computer Corporation, and since Gray Davis and the Democrats own California politically, and since they are almost identical in size when comparing the size of their economies...

California is going to secede from the Union and join France in a combined effort to embarrass the administration in a grand initiative for peace. This will also avoid the embarrassment of a successful Recall campaign against Davis and allow the new nation of Califlower to claim foreign aid in order to retire the monstrous deficit run up by Davis.

Should the US attack the new nation of Califlower, it will surrender immediately as soon as the foreign aid checks clear the bank. President Chirac and Vice President Davis have prepared a joint resolution to be read by US President in his televised presentation, along with the skirmish beginning in the middle east.

[A_Niceguy_in_CA]

and Hans Blix is trying to schedule a press conference at the same time to announce his confussion.

Blix will say that he hasn't had any contact with his inspection team in the last 48-hours. "Nobody at UNSCUM in Iraq has answered my phone calls in the last 48-hours. I honestly don't know what is going on in Iraq."

Blix will also state that he has received no new documents from Iraqi officials regarding their WMD program.

[floriduh voter]

My FR branch office (home office) is done in Spongebob Squarepants. Love those bright colors. I have one patriotic shelf and everything else is totally spongebob. I am not 10 years old either.

[steveegg]

If this turns out to be true I'll be sending $100 to FreeRepublic.com for the best damn service in America

I will match if the speech starts within 5 minutes of 9:00 pm EST 3/19/2003.

[grammymoon]

3 tvs, 4 pc's with cable, 2 radios
we're all connected!

[Lady In Blue]

I just checked my e-mails before coming on to FR.I got this notice from Stratfor:

Continuous, real-time monitoring, rapid analysis of military and political developments, combat reports and breaking intelligence available from Stratfor on its exclusive U.S. Iraq War web site.

Visit this web page for details.

http://www.stratfor.com/promo/?site=usiraq

================================================================= At 1808 GMT (1:08 p.m. EST, 9:08 p.m. Baghdad) B-52 bombers were reported taking off from RAF Fairford in the United Kingdom. Flying time to Iraq is about six hours. Earlier today, they were reportedly loaded with cruise missiles. The British press has also reported that skirmishing has commenced between Iraqi troops and U.S. and British special operations forces near Basra. Coalition aircraft also have attacked 10 Iraqi artillery pieces in the southern no-fly zone, and Israelis have been ordered to open and fit their gas masks, keeping them nearby at all times.

War has not yet commenced, but this is a war alert. More information will be forthcoming as it is available.

================================================================= Continuous, real-time monitoring, rapid analysis of military and political developments, combat reports and breaking intelligence available from Stratfor on its exclusive U.S. Iraq War web site.

[Semper911]

How the heck did Stratfor get this so early?

Stratfor makes stuff up. Don't count on this happening tonight.

[mhking]

The message on Drudge is gone now...