The Hand That Feeds

Press conference, 07 Jun

BUSH: Well, you know, I read, kind of, the characterizations of the memo, particularly when they dropped it out in the middle of his race. I'm not sure who "they dropped it out" is, but I'm not suggesting that you all dropped it out there. (LAUGHTER) And somebody said, "Well, you know, we had made up our mind to go to use military force to deal with Saddam."

There's nothing farther from the truth. My conversations with the prime minister was how could we do this peacefully, what could we do. And this meeting, evidently it took place in London, happened before we even went to the United Nations -- or I went to the United Nations. And so it's -- look, both of us didn't want to use our military.

Nobody wants to commit military into combat. That's the last option. The consequences of committing the military are very difficult. You know, one of the hardest things I do as the president is to try to comfort families who've lost a loved one in combat.

Downing Street Memo excerpts

Military action was now seen as inevitable. Bush wanted to remove Saddam, through military action, justified by the conjunction of terrorism and WMD. But the intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy. The NSC had no patience with the UN route, and no enthusiasm for publishing material on the Iraqi regime's record. There was little discussion in Washington of the aftermath after military action.

[...]

No decisions had been taken, but he thought the most likely timing in US minds for military action to begin was January, with the timeline beginning 30 days before the US Congressional elections.

[...]

It seemed clear that Bush had made up his mind to take military action, even if the timing was not yet decided. But the case was thin. Saddam was not threatening his neighbours, and his WMD capability was less than that of Libya, North Korea or Iran.

Poodle protects Master. Master kicks poodle. Poodle still won't bite master.

But, the Telegraph reported, Blair "is not about to behave in a way that could be characterized as the poodle biting back. 'In private, he gets very angry with Bush about these things but it's not his style to humiliate him in public,' one ally said."
Blair didn't even nibble at the president yesterday. Rather than let Bush take the bullet over the Downing Street memo -- the question was, after all, about U.S. war intentions -- he insisted on blocking the projectile himself. "No one knows more intimately the discussions that we were conducting as two countries at the time than me," he testified on Bush's behalf. "And the fact is, we decided to go to the United Nations."

Rather than repay Blair for his generosity, Bush made clear he would not support Blair's plan to double international aid to Africa and said "our country is taking the lead in Africa."

At the end of the news conference, Blair called on a British journalist, who asked about Africa and climate change. Bush jumped in with a lengthy answer, then ended the session before Blair could put in a word. "Thank you for your question; good to see you all," he declared. Blair gamely took Bush's extended hand.

A Message for Tony

You're keeping in step
In the line
Got your chin held high and you feel just fine
Because you do
What you're told
But inside your heart it is black and it's hollow and it's cold

What if this whole crusade's
A charade
And behind it all there's a price to be paid
For the blood
On which we dine
Justified in the name of the holy and the divine

Just how deep do you believe?
Will you bite the hand that feeds?
Will you chew until it bleeds?
Can you get up off your knees?
Are you brave enough to see?
Do you want to change it?
- "The Hand That Feeds", NIN

The Hand That Feeds