How just one bullet could have averted the 2003-2006... U.S. war against Iraq (From official transcript of White House Press Briefing by Ari Fleischer, 01 October 2002)     .... Q    Ari, the CBO has new estimates that the war in Iraq would cost between $9 billion and $13 billion. Does the White House think that's too low? Mr. Fleischer:   Again, the President has not made any decisions about military action or what military option he might pursue. And so I think it's impossible to speculate. I can only say that the cost of a one-way ticket is substantially less than that. The cost of one bullet, if the Iraqi people take it on themselves, is substantially less than that. The cost of war is more than that. But there are many options that the President hopes the world and people of Iraq will exercise themselves of that gets rid of the threat. But it's impossible to say what the President options are militarily from a price tag, because he's made no decisions.     .... Q   Ari, could I just clarify the one bullet line -- is the White House from this podium advocating the assassination of Saddam Hussein by his own people, by his military? Mr. Fleischer:   No, the question was about potential costs and different scenarios for costs. And I just cited the fact that Saddam Hussein has survived as a result of the repression and suppression of his own people, and that's a reality about what life is like inside Iraq. Q   But I'm not asking you a question about costs. I'm asking you if you intend to advocate from that podium that some Iraqis, person put a bullet in his head? Mr. Fleischer:   Regime change is welcome in whatever form that it takes. Q   So the answer is, yes? Mr. Fleischer:   Thank you. Regime change is welcome in whatever form it takes.     END 1:07 P.M. EDT

---

Why the U.S. had to go to war against Iraq (2002-03) "This is not a partisan issue, folks. This is an issue that is important for America. This is an American issue, a uniquely American issue. And it's -- as I reminded the members, that -- I say uniquely American issue because I truly believe that now that the war has changed, now that we're a battlefield, [Saddam Hussein] poses a much graver threat than anybody could have possibly imagined. Other countries, of course, bear the same risk. But there's no doubt his hatred is mainly directed at us. There's no doubt he can't stand us. After all, this is a guy that tried to kill my dad at one time." (George W Bush, "Remarks by the President at John Cornyn for Senate Reception", White House Press Release, 26Sep02, 5:36PM CDT, emphasis added)
"BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice paid a surprise visit to Iraq Sunday [15 May 05], praising Iraqi authorities and U.S. troops amid an insurgency that is taking dozens of lives each week.... Although the U.S. decision to launch the war in 2003 was condemned in many nations and the original justification -- Saddam's alleged weapons of mass destruction -- turned out to be based on flawed intelligence, Rice said, 'This war came to us, no[t] the other way around.'" ("Rice makes surprise visit to Iraq", CNN.com, Sunday, May 15, 2005 Posted: 5:00 PM EDT (2100 GMT). Note that the "t" in "not" appears in the CNN headline on their homepage but not in the quote in the body of the article.)

---

Return to Bush administration Foreign policy troika.
 

See  what form regime change took in Iraq, more than a year after President Bush declared "the end of major combat operations" in the war he launched 19 March 2003 to depose Saddam Hussein.   See  excellent BBC documentary how we got to the 2003 Iraq war: The Power of Nightmares.   Go to website Table of Contents. Return to Brad McCormick's home page. Go to site map.

---

http://www.cloud9.net/~bradmcc/sq/1Bullet.html Copyright © 2003 Brad McCormick, Ed.D. bradmcc@cloud9.net 18 March 2006 (2006-03-18 ISO 8601) v02.18
[I once saw a picture (not the one at right...) of Pope John Paul II, with exactly the same pouty lips, pointing finger and beady look in his eye (he was probably exhorting governments to 'protect the rights of the unborn').]

GWB: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - [9] - ? - 0