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Bush Won't Relent on Iraq, Analysts Say
Monday, March 25, 2002
By Anne E. Kornblut
Globe Staff

“We have no imminent plans to use military operations,” Bush said on Friday in response to reporters' questions. “We'll be deliberate, we'll consult with our friends and allies. But we'll deal with Saddam Hussein. And he knows that. And this is exactly what I've been saying ever since I've been the president.”

WASHINGTON -- TBG
Last November, as the initial phase of the war in Afghanistan continued to rage, President Bush offered a tantalizing clue about his next potential target.

Declaring that weapons of mass destruction were a growing concern in the antiterrorism campaign, Bush warned Saddam Hussein that he would “find out” the consequences if he did not allow weapons inspectors back into Iraq. The comment sparked a flurry of speculation about imminent US military action in the Persian Gulf, and the White House, anxious not to upset its fragile coalition of Arab nations, quickly denied there had been a change in policy.

But in the three months since, Bush has made it clear that Iraq is, in fact, next -- if not on the battlefield, then in the war for public opinion. And this time the matter is personal, US and foreign officials said.

It may be many months before any visible steps are taken: Faced with stiff resistance from the Middle East over its fear of US action against Hussein -- made clear during Vice President Dick Cheney's trip to the region -- the administration is redoubling its efforts to win international support before moving forward. Bush officials are also reassuring allies, both publicly and privately, that there will be no unilateral action, and insist there is even a possibility the US military may not be involved.

Week by week, however, Bush and other senior advisers have steadily ratcheted up their condemnation of the Iraqi regime, part of a strategic public relations plan to put the world on alert that they do not intend to merely contain the threat.

Though the message is sometimes lost amid other events -- from Palestinian-Israeli violence to ongoing skirmishes in Afghanistan to US military deployment in Georgia and advisers in Yemen -- advisers and analysts said the public should make no mistake about Bush's ultimate goal.
(More: The Boston Globe News Source)
2002 © Boston Globe Electronic Publishing, Inc.

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