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Posted on 04/24/2003 2:37:36 PM PDT by A Vast RightWing Conspirator
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28 minutes ago
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By RON FOURNIER, AP White House Correspondent
LIMA, Ohio - President Bush (news - web sites) raised the possibility Thursday that any Iraqi weapons of mass destruction were destroyed before or during the U.S.-led war, suggesting for the first time that coalition troops may come up empty in their search.
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Bush, who is expected to mark the end of hostilities soon, defied much of the world to wage war against Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) in a bid to rid Iraq (news - web sites) of weapons of mass destruction. Iraqi leaders asserted the nation had none, and an intensive search by coalition forces has uncovered no proof so far of chemical or biological weapons or a nuclear weapons program.
"He tried to fool the United Nations (news - web sites) and did for 12 years by hiding these weapons. And so it's going to take time to find them," the president said at the Lima Army Tank Plant. "But we know he had them. And whether he destroyed them, moved them or hid them, we're going to find out the truth."
Senior administration officials began this week to scale back expectations that weapons of mass destruction would be found. Bush's spokesman, Ari Fleischer (news - web sites), said Wednesday that success of the search effort depends "not on finding something by bumping into it" but on information provided by Iraqis who might have been involved in such programs.
A senior administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Bush's remarks were based on information from at least one Iraqi scientist who has led coalition forces to materials used in the production of weapons of mass destruction and who has said some weapons were destroyed before the war, others perhaps afterward.
It is believed that some weapons may have been removed from Iraq, and some probably remain, the official said.
France, Russia and other allies opposed to the war want U.N. inspectors to verify any evidence of weapons uncovered by the United States. The Bush administration has refused, saying coalition forces are more efficient.
Bush did not say how likely it was that weapons had been destroyed, rather than hidden and perhaps soon to be uncovered.
"One thing's for certain, Saddam Hussein no longer threatens America with weapons of mass destruction," he said.
Troops on the ground have searched more than 80 sites that prewar U.S. intelligence judged the most likely hiding places for chemical and biological weapons as well as evidence of an Iraqi nuclear program. After a recent strategy shift, teams are now setting aside the search list and deciding where to go more on the basis of new information from Iraqis.
Bush's remarks came at the end of a politically charged three-city visit to Ohio, one of a dozen or so states that will be closely contested in the 2004 presidential election. Bush hopes to convert his wartime popularity into successes in Congress — particularly with his troubled $726 billion economic package.
Bush hoped to pressure Ohio Sen. George Voinovich (news, bio, voting record), a Republican who derailed the White House tax package by refusing to back cuts of more than $350 billion.
Voinovich briefly greeted Bush at the airport in Dayton but he did not attend the president's speeches nor bow to White House demands.
"I think he knows where I'm at," the senator said of Bush.
The president made his disappointment clear.
"Some in Congress say the plan is too big. Well, it seems like to me they might have some explaining to do. If they agree that tax relief creates jobs, then why are they for a little bitty tax relief package?" Bush said.
Democrats said Bush's plan favors the rich and offers low- and middle-income Americans a few hundred dollars in savings.
"For people who need prescription drugs or health insurance, that's a drop in the bucket," Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones (news, bio, voting record), D-Ohio, said.
While aides said it was not yet time to declare victory in Iraq, the president nearly jumped the gun.
"We fought a war in Afghanistan (news - web sites), and now we have finished a war," Bush said in North Canton before catching himself and adding, "in the process of finishing a war in Iraq."
Several administration officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said they expect commanding Gen. Tommy Franks to declare the hostilities over in a few days, paving the way for a presidential address as early as next week that would wrap up the war.
Separately, Bush plans to travel to Dearborn, Mich., on Monday to discuss the future of a newly liberated Iraq. The Detroit suburb is home to one of the nation's largest Arab communities.
While visiting the Lima plant, Bush put a positive spin on reports that some Iraqi factions do not welcome U.S. troops and that an Iranian-style theocracy may grow to power.
"In Iraq, there's discussion, debate, protest — all the hallmarks of liberty," Bush said. "The path to freedom may not always be neat and orderly, but it is the right of every person and every nation."
As this piece says: Bush is suggesting for the first time that coalition troops may come up empty in their search
I read it more as a threat to other countries that aided and abetted.
There was a lot of talk about that, mostly by people outside the decision loop. Same people are still talking it up even though they are still outside the decision loop. Fact is, the invasion was expressly to force Saddam and sons to leave Iraq.
It looks more to me that Bush is setting up his critics to go after the bait. This wouldn't be the first for him.
Perhaps, but I can think of no reason why if he knows of them that he doesn't quickly display them. If time goes by and then he *finds* them, people will believe that he came up empty and planted them to cover his ass.
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