I think their statements came across as earnest. But they have had a tendency to state things as facts which are not yet generally accepted as true by the international community. I don't hear many people saying they are false, either, just that they would like to see proof and, because they have not yet seen that proof, they feel it is premature to launch a war.
I think Bush believes it is premature to launch a war too. I don't think he wants to launch a war at all. I think he wants to box Saddam in by talking about a war, then releasing evidence of WMD development sufficient to create at least some consensus in the civilized world for an invasion, and then get Saddam to either blink or be blinked.
Those characterizing these statements as "blow offs" are forgetting, I think, that we haven't invaded or even massed our troops yet. We have merely talked about the strong need and international interest in regime change. The next phase, convincing the international community that it is the right thing to do, begins Sept. 12. |
