President Bush promised Wednesday to consult allies before any military action against Iraq and asserted that an end to Saddam Hussein's regime "is in the interest of the world." "How we achieve that is a matter of consultation and deliberation," Bush told reporters.
Even so, Bush said the subject of a possible military strike on Iraq did not come up at a meeting on his ranch with his senior military advisers. Bush said he would act in a deliberate fashion in deciding how to deal with the Iraqi leader.
"I am a patient man. ... We will look at all options and we will consider all technologies available to us and diplomacy and intelligence," Bush said.
The president met with a military team led by Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld. "I know there's this intense speculation, a churning. ...," Bush said. "But the subject didn't come up," Bush said. "... Having said that, we take all threats seriously and we will continue to consult with our friends and allies."
"The American people know my position and that is regime change (in Iraq) is in the interest of the world," Bush said. "But one thing is for certain is that this administration agrees that Saddam Hussein is a threat and ...it hasn't changed," Bush said.
He said nothing that the Iraqi leader had done or said recently had convinced him otherwise. (Albawaba.com)
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