WASHINGTON, 8 March 2003 — Major US newspapers concluded yesterday that Washington was firmly on a war footing following President George W. Bush’s press conference the night before on the situation in Iraq.
Under the headline “Bush is ready to go without UN,” The Washington Post said in an editorial that the president offered no new proof to support US claims that Iraq was shirking its disarmament requirements.
The Post called Bush’s emphasis on the need to attack Iraq to safeguard US security a “risky way” for him to begin “what could be the most perilous undertaking of his presidency.” The New York Times, for its part, found that Bush did not come across during the press conference as a man seeking a diplomatic compromise.
“The only diplomatic initiative he described was a firm intention to have the Security Council vote on a resolution authorizing action,” the Times’ editorial board said. But the daily cautioned that “the spectacle of a Security Council rejection, broadcast around the globe, would not be a promising way to begin an assault that would need all the international support possible.” Though the United States may be able to beat Iraq and topple Hussein, it should not expect to run Iraq after the war and be able to single-handedly control the ensuing anger in the Arab world. “Diplomacy should be given a chance to rescue the Security Council from damaging paralysis and to present Baghdad with one last opportunity to change course,” the daily said.
For USA Today, Bush’s goal was to convince holdouts that war is the only option. “President Bush stopped short of declaring war on Iraq Thursday, but he left little doubt that he is on the verge of ordering a military strike as he insisted that Saddam Hussein is a threat to Americans,” the daily said.
Meanwhile, CNN reported yesterday that after a possible war with Iraq, the US wants to divide the country into three zones, .
One of the zones is Baghdad, which would be governed by the former US ambassador to Yemen, Barbara Bodine. The other two zones would be a southern section and a northern section headed by former American generals, the network reported.
