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| Also listed in: Ohio Bloggers |
On March 13, 2003, Bush pressed forward with his plan for war, despite a growing chorus of critics at home and abroad. Some highlights:
Deception, Pressure Used to Try and Win Support for U.N. Resolution
The Bush administration said it was close to lining up majority support for a U.N. Resolution authorizing the war. Its assertions were called into question when no country stepped forward to announce it would vote for the measure.
Several U.N. delegates expressed exasperation at the intense pressure that was being brought to bear to secure their votes. "We still hope this movement, this diplomatic game in the Security Council, might give the international community a hope of peace," said Munir Akram, Pakistan's ambassador to the United Nations. "We still hope Bush might listen to the huge international reaction" against war.
Former President Bill Clinton Urges Bush to Try Harder
Former president Bill Clinton, who has generally supported Bush’s Iraq policy, called on him to accept a more relaxed timeline in exchange for support from a majority of the United Nations Security Council members.
Bush continued to stand by his short, stern schedule for resolving the question of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's compliance with U.N. disarmament orders.
Clinton’s Comments Follow Jimmy Carter’s Warnings
“Profound changes have been taking place in American foreign policy, reversing consistent bipartisan commitments that for more than two centuries have earned our nation greatness,’’ Carter wrote in the New York Times.
“These commitments have been predicated on basic religious principles, respect for international law, and alliances that resulted in wise decisions and mutual restraint. Our apparent determination to launch a war against Iraq, without international support, is a violation of these premises.
Bush’s foreign policy, Carter wrote, "brought international trust in our country to its lowest level in memory. American stature will surely decline further if we launch a war in clear defiance of the United Nations."
Documents Linking Iraq to Nuclear Weapons Were Forged
The FBI announces it is looking into the forgery of a key piece of evidence that the Bush administration used to link Iraq to a nuclear weapons program. The probe includes the possibility that a foreign government is used a deception campaign to foster support for military action against Iraq.
The phony documents include a series of letters between Iraqi and Niger officials showing Iraq’s interest in equipment that could be used to make nuclear weapons.
The forgery came to light last week during a highly publicized and contentious United Nations meeting. Mohamed ElBaradei, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), told the Security Council on March 7 that U.N. and independent experts had decided that the documents were "not authentic."
ElBaradei's disclosure, and his rejection of three other key claims that U.S. intelligence officials have cited to support allegations about Iraq’s nuclear ambitions, struck a powerful blow to the Bush administration's argument on the matter.
Bush continued to insist he had the evidence needed to go to war.
Anti-terror Expert Exits White House
Richard Clarke ended his tenure as a senior White House adviser on anti-terrorism initiatives. He had previously served under Presidents Bill Clinton, Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, resigned his post as …
Clarke was the government's first counterterrorism czar and the Washington Post described him as “the first to draw effective attention to the risk that terrorists would acquire nuclear, biological and chemical weapons, the first to force concrete steps to protect critical information networks from cyberattack, and a dominant voice for spending money and covert resources against terrorists at a time when government was inclined to perceive them as a minor threat.’’
Clarke said he was happy to leave: “You know that great feeling you get when you stop banging your head against a wall?"
Among friends, Clarke said he is skeptical that the come war with Iraq is integral to the war on terrorism, as the White House maintains. He describes it as a “diversion of scarce resources and a wedge between Washington and critical allies in destroying al Qaeda.’’
Bob Ney’s French Connection
House Democrats revealed that Ohio Congressman Bob Ney has French ancestors – a revelation designed to embarrass Ney after he instituted "Freedom Fries" in the congressional cafeterias to express his displeasure with a certain country that refused to endorse Bush’s U.N. resolution.
The digging turned up the fact that Marshal Ney was one of the best generals for Napoleon at Waterloo. Napoleon conferred the title of "Le Brave des Braves" upon Ney, who led the attack on the British and only stopped at nightfall after five horses had been killed beneath him.
A Late-Night Comic Weighs In
Craig Kilborn of CBS’ Late Show: “Good news for Iraq. There’s a 50 percent chance the President Bush will confuse it with Iran.’’
