Posted on 04/02/2003 3:00:15 PM PST by kattracks
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush had advance knowledge of the plan to rescue Pfc. Jessica Lynch from an Iraqi hospital, the White House spokesman said Wednesday.
"The president had a hint of it earlier the day, but the tactical decisions were made by General (Tommy) Franks and his commanders on the ground about exactly what to do and where to do it," said Ari Fleischer.
The White House said the incident illustrated Bush's style as commander in chief. He approved a broad, flexible military plan for the war and is leaving all but the biggest decisions to Franks, the sole exception thus far being the surprise March 19 airstrikes targeting Saddam Hussein.
If U.S. intelligence gives military leaders another crack at Saddam, Franks could act without Bush's prior approval, White House aides have said.
Bush learned of Lynch's rescue at 4:50 p.m. EST Tuesday during his afternoon call with Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld. "That's great," he told Rumsfeld.
Bush later learned that 11 bodies, some of them believed to be Americans, were found with her, Fleischer said.
Fleischer said Bush was "full of joy for Jessica Lynch and her family" but also "mindful of the fact that we have others who are unaccounted for, who are missing in action, who are POWs and of course who have lost their lives."
Bush spoke Wednesday with the leaders of Spain, Qatar, and Kuwait. He will meet with President Jorge Batlle of Uruguay at the White House on April 23, Fleischer said.
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