Role reversal: Bush wants war,
Pentagon urges caution
By DOUG THOMPSON
Jan 22, 2003, 01:18
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Senior Pentagon officials are quietly urging President George W.
Bush to slow down his headlong rush to war with Iraq, complaining the
administration’s course of action represents too much of a shift of
America’s longstanding “no first strike” policy and that the move could
well result in conflicts with other Arab nations.<?xml:namespace prefix
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“We have a dangerous role reversal here,” one Pentagon source tells
Capitol Hill Blue. “The civilians are urging war and the uniformed officers
are urging caution.”
Capitol Hill Blue has learned the Joint Chiefs of Staff are split over plans
to invade <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns =
"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Iraq in the coming
weeks. They have asked Secretary of Defense Donald Rumseld to urge
Bush to back down from his hard line stance until United Nations
weapons inspectors can finish their jobs and the U.S. can build a
stronger coalition in the Middle East.
“This is not Desert Storm,” one of the Joint Chiefs is reported to have
told Rumseld. “We don’t have the backing of other Middle Eastern
nations. We don’t have the backing of any of our allies except Britain
and we’re advocating a policy that says we will invade another nation
that is not currently attacking us or invading any of our allies.”
Intelligenced sources say some Arab nations have told US diplomats
they may side with Iraq if the U.S. attacks without the backing of the
United Nations. Secretary of State Colin Powell agrees with his former
colleagues at the Pentagon and has told the President he may be
pursuing a "dangerous course."
An angry Rumsfeld, who backs Bush without question, is said to have
told the Joint Chiefs to get in line or find other jobs. Bush is also said to
be “extremely angry” at what he perceives as growing Pentagon
opposition to his role as Commander in Chief.
“The President considers this nation to be at war,” a White House
source says,” and, as such, considers any opposition to his policies to
be no less than an act of treason.”
But conversations with sources within the Bush administration, the
Pentagon, the FBI and the intelligence community indicate a deepening
rift between the professionals who wage war for a living and the
administration civilians to want to send them into battle.
Sources say the White House has ordered the FBI and CIA to “find and
document” links between Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden, the
mastermind of the 9-11 terrorist attacks.
“The implication is clear,” grumbles one longtime FBI agent. “Find a
link, any link, no matter how vague or unproven, and then use that link
to justify action against Iraq.”
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