According to Ms. Dowd, an eyewitness, Bush was "visibly furious" when he climbed out
of his helicopter. As Bush walked towards the microphones, he was accosted by Richard
Haas of the NSC staff who thrust a cable into Bush's hands. Bush read the cable,
scowling. However ugly his mood had been before he had seen the memo, reading it sent
him into an apoplectic rage. According to White House officials, this cable contained
information about the dimensions of the Iraqi troop buildup and indicated that the Iraqi
troops were moving south towards the Saudi border, and not leaving Kuwait. [fn 41]
According to Ms. Dowd, this was the secret memo that "seemed to spark the President's
irritation at his news conference. In any case, Bush now launched into a violent diatribe
that left no doubt that as far as he was considered, the desired outcome was now war.
In Bush's opening statement, he summarized the result of his frenetic "speed dialing"
exercise: Oezal, Kaifu, Mulroney, Mitterrand, Kohl, Thatcher, the Emir of Kuwait had all
been reached. The alleged result:
What's emerging is nobody is -- seems to be showing up as willing to accept anything
less than total withdrawal from Iraq, from Kuwait of the Iraqi forces, and no puppet
regime. We've been down that road, and there will be no puppet regime that will be
accepted by any countries that I'm familiar with. And there seems to be a united front out
there that says Iraq, having committed brutal, naked aggression, ought to get out and that
the-- this concept of their installing some puppet leaving behind will not be acceptable.
So, we're pushing forward on diplomacy. We've gotten-- tomorrow I will meet here in
Washington with the Secretary General of the United Nations-- I mean, the Secretary
General of NATO-- and Margaret Thatcher will be coming in here tomorrow, and I will
be continuing this diplomatic effort.
What about the situation on the ground? Had Iraq pulled out?
Iraq lied once again. They said they were going to start moving out today and we have no
evidence that they're moving out.
A question about the embassies in Kuwait City launched Bush into his enraged
crescendo, punctuated by menacing histrionics:
I'm not trying to characterize threats. The threat is the vicious aggression against Kuwait.
And that speaks for itself. And anything collaterally is just simply more indication that
these are outlaws -- international outlaws and renegades. And I want to see the United
Nations move soon with Chapter 7 sanctions. And I want to see the rest of the world join
us, as they are in overwhelming numbers, to isoltate Saddam Hussein.
When asked how a puppet regime could be prevented, Bush snapped, "Just wait. Watch
and learn." Since he had made so many calls, had he tried to get through to Saddam
Hussein? "No. No, I have not." The policy of refusing to negotiate with Iraq would be
maintained all the way to the end of the war. What about King Hussein of Jordan, who
was known to be attempting a mediation? "I talked to him once and that's all," hissed
Bush. "But he's embraced Saddam Hussein. He went to Baghdad and embraced--" said