Bush's press conference yesterday: If his body language is any guide, Bush is under great stress, I'd say. He's having to front for policies/strategies that are quite outside his personal competence.
The US refuses to admit that Iraq might not have any WMDs. Hans Blix, the UN Chief Weapons Inspector, is obviously mystified and complains: "We would like to have clues as to where the United States' and other countries' intelligence feel they know Iraqis are storing weapons of mass destruction. Then, we can send in the inspectors." To my mind, the only adequate explanation for the whole affair is that, in parallel to the outward threats, the US (that is, Bush Senior, Cheney, Rumsfeld) is secretly negotiating with Saddam concerning future Iraqi oil developments. The rumour is that Saddam has reneged on his oil development treaties with France and Russia. Maybe he hasn't gone far enough yet. (It is interesting -- and probably significant -- that Saddam is not saying much in public at the present time.) Despite the fact that almost every commentator is saying that the US will invade Iraq in the next month or so (even without UN Security Council authorisation), I still think that the US will not do so on a large enough scale which might lead to the occupation of Baghdad and Iraq's other cities. American public opinion could -- and probably would -- turn against Bush very powerfully if house-to-house fighting were involved and thousands of people killed. Over here, Blair would never have the courage to support Bush against most of his own Labour Party, most of the chattering classes in London, and all the other EU countries unless he was pretty certain in his own mind that the whole affair will suddenly become quiet when Saddam gives way over future oil supplies from Iraq with preference to America (and, of course, the UK). I think we're very close to some sort of denouement. Keith Hudson ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------ Keith Hudson, General Editor, Handlo Music, http://www.handlo.com 6 Upper Camden Place, Bath BA1 5HX, England Tel: +44 1225 312622; Fax: +44 1225 447727; mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] ________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________ Futurework mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://scribe.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework
