Bush II was never interested in a diplomatic solution for Iraq

Revealed: Saddam 'ready to walk away for $1bn'
By Leonard Doylein Washington
Published: 29 September 2007
A transcript of an eve-of-war conversation between President George Bush
and former Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar has revealed a
previously undisclosed initiative to avert war in Iraq by spiriting
Saddam Hussein out of the country.

"Yes, it's possible," Mr Bush told the Spanish leader. "The Egyptians
are talking to Saddam Hussein ... He seems to have indicated he would be
open to exile if they would let him take one billion dollars and all the
information he wants on weapons of mass destruction."

But Mr Bush seems to shrug off the idea, saying "it's also possible he
could be assassinated", and he makes made clear that the US would in any
case give "no guarantee" for Hussein. "He's a thief, a terrorist and a
war criminal. Compared to Saddam, Milosevic would be a Mother Teresa."

The conversation, recorded by Spain's ambassador to the US, Javier
Ruperez, and published this week in El Pais, offers a unique insight
into Mr Bush's brusque interaction with one of the few foreign leaders
he trusted. Here was a leader already on the march towards war,
expressing impatience and anger at those that disagreed with him.

Mr Bush does admit that averting war would be "the best solution for us"
and "would also save us $50bn," greatly underestimating the cost to the
US treasury of nearly five years of warfare. But he also talks of how he
planned to exact revenge on countries, that did not back the US in its
drive to war.

"We have to get rid of Saddam. There are two weeks left. In two weeks
we'll be ready militarily," Mr Bush told Mr Aznar.

It was February 2003 at Mr Bush's Crawford Texas ranch, less than a
month before the invasion. Almost 150,000 US troops and their British
allies were sitting in the Kuwaiti desert. The troops were well within
range of any weapons of mass destruction, military analysts have pointed
out.

US administration officials had already prepared public opinion for war
by raising fears of Saddam Hussein's nuclear programme and his ability
to create "mushroom clouds." But the transcript reveals the two leaders
were more concerned about getting a fig leaf of international approval
for the war, than any imminent threat from Saddam.

The transcript revolves around Washington's frustrations at failing to
get UN Security Council approval for war - the now-famous second
resolution.

At the time, both Tony Blair and President Bush were officially open to
a diplomatic resolution of the Iraq crisis - including a negotiated
exile of Saddam - but the Spanish Ambassador's notes reveal peace was
never really an option.

With public opposition to the war in Europe in full swing, Washington's
two strongest allies, Mr Aznar and Tony Blair were under intense
anti-war pressure.

President Bush needed to appear to be serious about diplomacy to "help
us with our public opinion," pleaded Mr Aznar. The hope was that by
being seen to looking for alternatives to war, the growing anger against
US policy and Europe would be assuaged.

"I'm not asking for infinite patience," Mr Aznar said, but "simply that
you do what's possible to get everyone to agree".

Pointing to the internal rows within the White House, where Vice
President *** Cheney was leading the drive to war, Mr Bush said he had
gone to the United Nations "despite differences in my own
administration" adding that it would be "great" if the proposed second
resolution authorising war was successful.

"The only thing that worries me is your optimism," said Mr Aznar who is
now a visiting scholar at Georgetown University. "I'm optimistic because
I believe I'm right," the President replied. "I'm at peace with myself."

Mr Bush also chastised Europeans for being insensitive to "the suffering
that Saddam Hussein has inflicted on the Iraqis" adding rather oddly:
"Maybe it's because he's dark-skinned, far away and Muslim - a lot of
Europeans think he's okay."

He then attacked Jacques Chirac, who had publicly challenged the US
drive to war, saying the Frenchman "sees himself as Mr Arab."

It was at a time when the US right was trying to orchestrate a boycott
of French wines and other goods. Restaurants across the US began using
the name Freedom Fries instead of French Fries.

In one of the most chilling insights into the hardball politics Mr Bush
was playing in order to get his way, he warned that countries which
opposed him would pay a price, mentioning the Free Trade Agreement with
Chile that is waiting for Senate confirmation and Angola's grants from
the Millennium Account.

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/article3010189.ece


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Closeted gay members of congress include:

Mitch McConnell (R-KY)
Lindsey Graham (R-SC)
David Dreier (R-CA)
Jim McCrery (R-LA)
Phil English (R-PA)
Denny Hastert (R-IL)
Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA)
Larry Craig (R-ID)
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