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Americans Quiz Rumsfeld on Radio Call-in Show
Thursday, November 14, 2002
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

If the United States must lead a coalition and go into Iraq, the military would do so in a manner respectful of human life on all sides and with a determination to do the job and to finish it fast, Rumsfeld said.

WASHINGTON -- AFIS
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld today explained the threat Iraq poses to the United States on a call-in radio program broadcast around the world.

Callers to the show, hosted by CBS News correspondent Steve Kroft for Infinity Radio, asked Rumsfeld about possible war with Iraq and the war on terrorism.

He told listeners that if the United States has to use force against Iraq, "It's not about oil and it's not about religion." Many of the callers and those who sent e-mail asked if Saddam Hussein is a "real threat" to the United States. Two callers with relatives in the military asked if it was necessary to endanger their lives.

Rumsfeld thanked those people for their relatives' willingness to serve the country. He then very directly laid out the threat an Iraq armed with weapons of mass destruction poses to the United States and the world. He said people should think back to the time before Sept. 11, 2001, and ask themselves when the attack of Sept. 11 became an imminent threat.
(More: DoD News Source)
2002 © The United States Department of Defense.

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