bush exist strategy on iraq?

[prozak at anus.com]

2/23/03 4:27:18 PM
Capitol Hill Blue

Washington, DC --
http://www.capitolhillblue.com/artman/publish/article_1796.shtml

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White House advisors looking for a "way out" of war with Iraq

By CHB Staff

Feb 20, 2003, 05:47

Some strategists within the Bush Administration are urging the 
President
to
look for an "exit strategy" on Iraq, warning the tough stance on war 
with
the
Arab country has left the country in a "no win" situation.

"At this point, the United States and Britain does not have the 
support
for
passage of a second UN resolution," admits a White House aide.

In addition, Republican leaders in both the House and Senate are 
telling
the Presidently privately that he is losing support in Congress for a 
"go
it
alone war" against Iraq.

"The President's war plans are in trouble, there's no doubt about 
that,"
says an advisor to House Speaker Dennis J. Hastert. "Some Republican
members
want a vote on military action and some of those say they would, at 
this
point, vote against such action."

Some White House advisors are urging the President to consider 
complying
with the UN position or to look for other "face saving" ways to avoid 
war
with
Iraq.

President Bush, however, is reported to be "hanging tough" on plans 
to
invade Iraq, even though his closest advisors tell him such a move 
could
be "disasterous" politically.

"The President has backed himself and the nation into a corner in a 
no win
situation," says political scientist George Harleigh. "World opinion 
is
against him. Public opinion polls show support eroding among 
Americans."

Republican campaign strategist Vern Wilson says he is advising his 
clients
to "put some distance between themselves and the President" on war 
with
Iraq.

"When you have former military leaders questioning the wisdom of war, 
then
you have Vietnam and Gulf War veterans marching against the war, when 
you
have
Republicans in Congress questioning the President's judgment, it 
tells me
we
could have a problem," Wilson said Wednesday.

The escalating loss of support for the U.S. officials has led to an
increase of defiance by Iraqi officials, who have yet to live up to
promises
of increased support and aid to U.N. inspectors looking for the 
country's
suspected weapons of mass destruction.

Taking heart from the split in the Security Council regarding 
possible
military action against the country. and the world-wide protests 
against
war,
Iraq has changed from saying that its officials are complying with 
U.N.
demands to asking for a lifting of sanctions instituted against Iraq 
after
it
was forced out of Kuwait more than 10 years ago.

"We have not seen any positive moves on the part of Iraq," one U.N.
official in Iraq told The Washington Post, while another said, "They 
are
not
fulfilling their promises."

U.N. inspectors returned to Iraq in November after the Security 
Council
unanimously passed Resolution 1441, a strongly worded document that
promised "serious consequences" should Iraq not live up to the
stipulations
outlined in the document. Those included giving U.N. inspectors
unrestricted
access inside Iraq and orders to report any interference by Iraq with 
the
inspections.

However, since last Friday, when lead weapons inspectors Hans Blix 
and
Mohammad ElBaradei reported to the Security Council, the United 
Nations
has
not seen Iraq carry through on promises to deliver documents about 
old
weapons
programs nor have there been interviews with scientists involved with
possible
weapons technology.

Large anti-war demonstrations were staged in several cities around 
the
world. The United States and Britain are having trouble finding 
support
for
anything stronger than additional inspections in Iraq in their 
Security
Council deliberations.

© Copyright 2003 by Capitol Hill Blue




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