.contact us |.about us

Highlights ... ...
Search:
    Advertisement
Saddam capture good for Bush in many ways
( 2003-12-14 22:59) (Agencies)

When national security adviser Condoleezza Rice told President Bush before dawn Sunday that Saddam Hussein had indeed been captured, she was delivering news that was good for the U.S. leader in a multitude of ways.

It will help Bush with a U.S. public increasingly skeptical of his Iraq strategy and it will at least temporarily silence his Democratic rivals. It may also help calm the roiled Iraqi people, many of whom have been unwilling to embrace a new government as long as Saddam was at large.

The war in Iraq that sent Bush's poll ratings soaring — and then falling to pre-Sept. 11 levels as the postwar situation grew increasingly dangerous — began on March 19 with a dramatic round of missile strikes aimed at Saddam. They missed.

It would be only the first of many times over nine months that Saddam would prove elusive.

Now, having Saddam in custody is likely to pay dividends for Bush's presidency on a number of fronts.

Lt. Gen. Richardo Sanchez, speaking at a Baghdad news conference, described Saddam's capture as a "defining moment in the future of Iraq." U.S. officials have always believed that taking Saddam off the scene would help defuse the still dangerous situation in Iraq. If the deadly insurgency that has been killing American soldiers almost daily begins to subside, that could lead to a drawdown of U.S. troop levels there that would please many Americans.

"The capture of Saddam Hussein will clearly take the wind out of the sails of the Baath insurgents," said Rep. Ike Shelton, D-Mo., ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee. "I think the road to a more stable Iraq is much clearer as a result of this capture."

Having Saddam in custody is as much a symbolic prize as a tactical one.

At home, Democrats on the presidential campaign train and on Capitol Hill have latched onto the chaotic situation overseas to criticize Bush for not gaining enough international cooperation on the war and for not planning adequately for the war's messy aftermath.

Partly as a result, the president's poll ratings have leveled off around the 50 percent mark. They will certainly spike again, just as Bush's Democratic rivals begin their primary battle in earnest with the new year.

Some of the president's most fervent critics have also suggested that the Iraq war was a personal mission for Bush, saying he was only trying to complete the work of his father, the former president who waged the United States first victorious war against Iraq but who pulled out without toppling Saddam.

But there are some tricky decisions to be made ahead.

Without directly saying so, the White House had clearly preferred to see Saddam killed than captured, as having him in custody raises questions about a trial.

All this had the White House in the strange position of being in full gear early Sunday — but mostly silent .

Blaming a snowstorm, Bush canceled his plans to attend church across the street from the White House. He had first learned of the raid's possible success Saturday afternoon, then received confirmation that it was Saddam that had been captured from Rice — who had been called by L. Paul Bremer, U.S. administrator in Iraq — around 5 a.m. Sunday.

But even as Bush headed into the Oval Office and senior aides rushed in before dawn, hours passed after the news was delivered to the world from a Baghdad news conference and there still was no official White House reaction.

Perhaps reflecting the desire not to gloat when U.S. troops are still in danger overseas and the fallout remains unclear, aides even declined to describe Bush's reaction at the news.

Pressed on whether the day brought good news for the White House, all one aide would repeatedly say is: "This is good news for the Iraqi people."

   
Close  
  Go to Another Section  
     
 
 
     
  Article Tools  
     
  E-Mail This Article
Print Friendly Format
 
     
   
        .contact us |.about us
  Copyright By chinadaily.com.cn. All rights reserved  
主站蜘蛛池模板: 免费又黄又爽又猛的毛片| 国产精品电影一区二区三区| 久久偷看各类wc女厕嘘嘘| 欧美日韩中文国产一区二区三区| 免费福利小视频| 羞差的漫画sss| 国产人妖在线播放| 精品91自产拍在线| 国产精品亚洲综合一区在线观看| 99久久er热在这里只有精品99| 少妇高潮无套内谢麻豆传| 丽玲老师高跟鞋调教小说| 日韩三级免费观看| 五月天婷婷在线播放| 欧美午夜电影在线观看| 亚洲欧美日韩中字综合| 爽天天天天天天天| 免费动漫人物扑克软件网站| 美女网站色在线观看| 国产亚洲一区二区在线观看| 麻豆精品在线观看| 国产日韩精品一区二区在线观看播放| 2019国产麻豆剧传媒视| 国内少妇偷人精品视频免费| a级毛片在线观看| 女人洗澡一级毛片一级毛片| 丝袜足液精子免费视频| 扒开女人内裤边吃奶边摸 | 亚洲日韩精品国产一区二区三区 | 嗯~啊~哦~别~别停~啊老师| 色老头成人免费视频天天综合| 国产免费爽爽视频免费可以看| 黄色网址在线免费| 国产成人cao在线| 很污很黄的网站| 国产片免费福利片永久| 五月婷婷中文字幕| 国产深夜福利在线观看网站| 日本精品www色| 国产欧美一区二区三区在线看| 欧美视频第二页|