-Caveat Lector- Euphorian spotted this on the Guardian Unlimited site and thought you should see it.
To see this story with its related links on the Guardian Unlimited site, go to http://www.guardian.co.uk White House in disarray over Cheney speech Julian Borger in Washington Sunday September 01 2002 The Observer George Bush has moved to distance himself from his vice-president after it was revealed that a sabre-rattling speech on Iraq by Dick Cheney was made without clearing key points with the White House. In a clear sign of disarray at the top of the US administration it has emerged that Mr Cheney may have gone too far in a bellicose address last week in which he dismissed out of hand the usefulness of pushing for weapons inspectors to be allowed back into Iraq. That disarray inside the Bush team was compounded by renewed reports in the US press last night that Colin Powell was planning to leave his job as secretary of state at the end of the president's first term, potentially threatening Mr Bush's re-election chances in 2004 by robbing him of a popular and moderate ally. Mr Powell's recommendations for the administration to take a more multilateralist line in foreign policy have repeatedly been ignored. In an interview with the BBC broadcast yesterday, Mr Powell argued that UN weapons inspectors should be sent back to Iraq as a "first step" towards dealing with the threat posed by Saddam Hussein, echoing the position taken by Britain and the European Union. Those comments directly contradicted the speech by Mr Cheney to US war veterans last Monday. In that he said the inspectors "would provide no assurance whatsoever" of Iraqi compliance with UN disarmament resolutions, and instead increase the danger by providing "false comfort". A European diplomat said: "As far as we can tell, the Cheney speech was a freelance job which had not been cleared with other agencies." The diplomat believed that included Mr Bush's national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice. That impression was reinforced by a report in Newsweek magazine yesterday in which the White House chief of staff, Andy Card, said that the president had not authorised Mr Cheney's language on inspections, and it was toned down in a second version of the speech delivered later in the week. The report also quoted administration sources as saying that Mr Cheney had failed to check the facts behind his allegations against Iraq with the CIA and that the state department never saw the final text of the speech. The implied criticism of Mr Cheney came as Tony Blair faced continuing pressure to use his influence to press for re-engagement with the UN over Iraq, as well as further warnings that he does not have Labour movement backing for a pre-emptive attack on Saddam Hussein. Nelson Mandela is reported to have called Mr Bush directly to urge against a war and is also keen to persuade Mr Blair against such a move. The Conservative party leader, Iain Duncan Smith, urged Mr Blair to make a public case for a pre-emptive attack. The evidence on Saddam Hussein's weapons and intent existed but the debate had been allowed to "drift" by the prime minister, he claimed. The issue of weapons inspectors is at the centre of the debate within the Bush administration between hawks, led by Mr Cheney and the defence secretary Donald Rums feld, who believe the US should go it alone in toppling President Saddam and moderates, led by Mr Powell and a phalanx of prominent figures in the Republican party, who want to pursue the quarrel with Iraq through the UN. Opinion polls yesterday showed the US public to be overwhelmingly on the side of the moderates. In a Newsweek survey, 81% said it was important to gain the formal support of the UN for military action and 86% said it was important to get support from most of Washington's European allies. Diplomats in Washington believe that the White House is considering approaching the UN security council to seek a new ultimatum for Iraq to readmit weapons inspectors, a course of action advocated by the EU last week. Any future UN ultimatum will be hamstrung by the administration's oft-repeated intention to pursue "regime change" irrespective of UN inspections, removing President Saddam's incentive to comply. Mr Bush is due to address the UN general assembly on September 12, by which time the White House is hoping to have clarified its policy. Copyright Guardian Newspapers Limited <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance�not soap-boxing�please! 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