Mr. Bush's chief spokesman, Ari Fleischer
Q You did very little to lower expectations in the run up to this. Even if you didn't raise them yourself, you did nothing to lower what we were hearing from the Pentagon and from other outside pundits about how well, how quickly this war would go.
MR. FLEISCHER: I could not dispute that more strongly, and let me cite it for you. If you take a look at what the President said on October 7th in Cincinnati in a major speech to the country, the President said, "Military conflict could be difficult. An Iraqi regime faced with its own demise may attempt cruel and desperate measures. There is no easy or risk-free course of action." That's what the President said some six months ago, five months ago.
And certainly in many of the statements that I've made from this podium, I said, even prior to any action beginning, I said on March 18th, "I think people have to prepare for the fact that it may not be short." On March 21st, even before the air campaign began over Baghdad, in my morning briefing I was asked about talks for unconditional surrender, how were the talks for the unconditional surrender. I said, I think it's important for the American people to remember that this still can be a long, lengthy, and dangerous engagement. This is, as the President said, the opening phase. It can be a long, lengthy, dangerous engagement because this is war.
scoop.co.nz
Mr. Bush's chief spokesman, Ari Fleischer (news - web sites), cited remarks from the president last October, in which Mr. Bush warned that a war might not be quick and easy, and that Mr. Hussein's forces might resort to "cruel and desperate measures" to stave off defeat.
Mr. Fleischer also noted his own remarks, a few days before the military campaign began, that a war might not be short. And he told reporters that Vice President Dick Cheney (news - web sites), who said he expected a war to last "weeks rather than months," had added the caveat "but we can't count on that."
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