Brad Messer Commentary
8:15 a.m. Wednesday, Mar. 19, 2003
Godspeed, G.I. Joe
In President Bush’s get-out-of-Iraq countdown, we’re at eleven hours and closing. The deadline was that Saddam and sons had to leave Iraq within two days or we would invade.
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U.S. Army troops moved into position on Kuwait's border with Iraq on Tuesday, preparing for a possible military attack on Iraq. |
But the Pentagon says the countdown doesn’t count now, because Saddam said he isn’t going to leave.
The New York Times reported, “Pentagon officials said the wording of the president's warning on Monday was intended to leave open the option of military action before then in the event that Mr. Hussein rejected the deadline..”
So even if Saddam and sons do leave, we’ll go ahead and attack anyway.
The virtual certainty that G.I. Joe will be handing out chocolate to kids in Baghdad in a few days should focus Saddam’s thoughts impressively.
Columnist Tom Friedman writes that Bush likes cowboy images, and that “In most cowboy movies the good guys round up a posse before they ride into town and take on the black hats. We're doing just the opposite. We're riding into Baghdad pretty much alone and hoping to round up a posse after we get there.”
Here comes a week for the history books. Godspeed, G.I. Joe.
Brad Messer— commentary, KTSA.
New York Times 3/19/2003
U.S. Calls Decision by Hussein His 'Final Mistake'