CINCINNATI — Trying to rally the nation and the world behind a possible attack on Iraq, President Bush said Monday night that the Iraqi regime is the single gravest danger confronting humanity.
“While there are many dangers in the world, the threat from Iraq stands alone because it gathers the most serious dangers of our age in one place,” Bush said, citing Iraq’s pursuit of chemical, biological and nuclear weapons. “By its past and present actions, by its technological capabilities, by the merciless nature of its regime, Iraq is unique.”
The White House released excerpts of Bush’s prepared remarks before the president’s scheduled 8 p.m. EDT appearance at the Cincinnati Museum Center.
Bush traveled to America’s heartland to make the case for war in a prime-time speech designed to muster domestic and international support for military action. His address was timed to influence this week’s debate in Congress on a resolution that would authorize him to attack Iraq, but Bush also aimed his remarks at a much larger audience.
Congress is expected to give Bush the broad authority to wage war that he seeks in votes this week or next, but several new polls suggest that domestic support for military action is tentative. While roughly two-thirds of Americans support using force to topple Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, public support plummets if the United States has to act to alone or if the war results in heavy U.S. casualties.
Although there was little new in his speech, Bush presented his most detailed case for war on Iraq yet, one year after launching the first air strikes against Afghanistan in response to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Although Bush assured Congress that passage of a resolution authorizing the use of force against Iraq “does not mean that military action is imminent or unavoidable,” he left no doubt about his determination to force Iraq to scrap its nuclear, chemical and biological weapons programs.
“The time for denying, deceiving and delaying has come to an end,” Bush said. “Saddam Hussein must disarm himself — or, for the sake of peace, we will lead a coalition to disarm him.”
Bush offered assurances to the Iraqi people that he is committed to rebuilding Iraq after Hussein’s ouster.
“America is a friend of the people of Iraq. Our demands are directed only at the regime that enslaves them and threatens us,” he said. “When these demands are met, the first and greatest benefit will come to Iraqi men, women and children.”
Many Americans support Bush on Iraq, but not all seem to share his sense of urgency. A New York Times/CBS News poll found that two-thirds of those surveyed said they approved of using military force to oust Hussein, but almost the same percentage wanted to give the United Nations more time to resume weapons inspections. The nationwide telephone survey of 668 adults has a margin of error of plus or minus four percentage points.
Bush faces even greater skepticism overseas, where anti-war sentiment is growing as the U.N. Security Council moves toward a decision on Iraq. Steadfast opposition from France and Russia has stalled Bush’s push for a U.N. resolution that would authorize force if Iraq fails to permit tough new weapons inspections.
© 2002, Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services.
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