President Bush said the United States has entered the \last phase of diplomacy"" with Iraq on the eve of Chief U.N. Weapons Inspector Hans Blix's latest report to the U.N. Security Council.
Bush sent the message during a nationally televised prime time news conference Thursday. It was only the eighth news conference of his presidency and the second in prime time. Earlier in the day speculation rose that the president might announce the capture of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden or the event of military action, but the president did not reveal any groundbreaking information.
Instead he re-asserted his position that Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein had used up all his chances.
""If he doesn't disarm we'll disarm him,"" Bush said. Yet he later said ""I hope we don't have to go to war.""
Those comments did not contradict, according to UW-Madison political science Professor Michael Barnett. War would be the president's last resort, but he has reached that point, Barnett said.
""The news conference itself says that they've made a decision to go to war and that it will happen in the next week,"" Barnett said. ""We're days away from war.""
Members of the White House press corps tried to get the president to pinpoint exactly when he would authorize action and what could prompt that action, but he would not give any specifics. He did not endorse or condemn a recent Canadian proposal that calls for more inspections until at least July, saying he refused to ""tip his hand."" The British government said Thursday it would consider amending its joint resolution with the United States, possibly setting in place a timed deadline.
Bush also refused to specifically address the economic and diplomatic costs of war, which UW-Madison political science Professor David Canon said bothered him.
""He seems to be pretending that this is somehow going to be a costless war,"" Canon said. ""He should be leveling with the American people.""
One question about the costs of war came from Cox News Service reporter Bob Deans, who asked the president how he would convince the world that this effort would not turn into another Vietnam. Bush said it was a good question but the United States' mission was clearly to disarm and he has a plan to achieve that mission. Canon said that answer also worried him.
""He completely ducked it,"" he said. ""Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon all thought 'we have a clear mission, it's to get rid of communism in Vietnam.' It didn't work out the way they thought it would.""
Following Blix's report today, Bush said the United States will push for a vote on its resolution next week even if they do not have guaranteed support. On Thursday China joined France, Germany and Russia in saying they would not support a new resolution authorizing force, according to The New York Times.
