World News 08-08-2002 Bush Promises Not To Rush Into Iraq Invasion who: George W Bush what: Softens his rhetoric over Iraqi threat where: Washington DC when: Yesterday snippet: "President Bush backed off his hardline rhetoric against Iraq yesterday," says The Times, "promising to consult allies and explore options for removing President Saddam Hussein without war." "I promise you that I will be patient, and deliberate, that we will continue to consult with Congress, and of course we’ll consult with our friends and allies," he said, insisting that military action was only one of the tools at his disposal. The Mirror seems in no doubt that war is still a foregone conclusion. "All six US armed service chiefs now back military action," writes Mark Ellis. "The Pentagon`s hardline civilian leadership, headed by Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, want war at any price." Meanwhile, vice-president Dick Cheney warned that "sending back United Nations weapons inspectors to Iraq would not be enough to counter the threat posed by Saddam Hussein," says The Financial Times. He accused Saddam Hussain of using an offer of talks to "obfuscate, delay and avoid having to live up to the accords that he signed up to at the end of the Gulf war". [... more]

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