(13)
Showdown At the White House
George W. Bush bounced down off Marine One and strode quickly across the White House lawn and into his office, as if the faster he moved, the sooner he would be through with the painful task at hand. Ironically, he was back to the old George W: he once again had no personal doubt whatsoever that he was about to do the right thing.
He had arranged for his inner circle to meet him in the Oval Office so he could tell them all at once of his decision. This would be the easy part. There would be surprise, but there would be support. He had already mentally begun to prepare for the worst from the rest of his team, including the possibility of large-scale resignations. Maybe I will have to hire some of those Roundtable people as new advisors, chuckled the President to himself.
His staff was waiting for him as he strode through the door. He dispensed with the normal jokes and small talk and got right down to business.
"I've gathered you folks together because, sadly, you have become the only key White House people that I can count on for support at this tough time," said the President, surveying his inner coterie. "It's a small group." Present at this important meeting were Condoleezza Rice, Colin Powell, Andy Card, and Ari Fleischer.
"I've made the difficult decision as Commander-In-Chief to halt imminent plans for the invasion of Iraq. I realize at this late date there are logistical problems with this, not to mention the political fallout. There are already Special Ops people in Harm's Way, as well as Iraqi agents in extremely compromised positions. I've weighed all of this, and yet I keep comin' back to the same problem: we're expending all of this... energy in manpower, and resources, and bending the world to our way of lookin' at things, and all the while Osama bin Laden is still runnin' around loose somewhere in Pakistan, and the Israelis and the Palestinians are still at each other's throats, and the Saudis are still exporting that jihadist version of Islam... What are we doin' attacking Iraq? I know I'm late to the party on this, believe me. I drank the Kool-aid along with everybody else. But just because I made one big mistake, I would be ten times guiltier to keep this thing goin' knowing what I know now. But this isn't gonna happen without a price–I know there's gonna be tremendous political pressure to reverse this decision. I may end up the hero to some, but I'm gonna be the goat to most of the people who elected me. This administration may look like the Titanic in a couple of days, and I don't blame any of you for grabbin' one of the available lifeboats. I guess that's one of the reasons I'm tellin' you people first–so you can start thinkin' about what you want to do." The President paused and looked at each of his advisors. They weren't even pretending to take notes. No one ventured a comment yet, correctly anticipating more to come from President Bush.
"After September the 11th, we had the people of the world with us, didn't we? When we went after the Taliban and al-Qaeda in Afghanistan, we still had most of the world with us. Now, we gotta beg, bribe, cajole and coerce tiny nations so that we can appear to have a coalition that, you know, isn't foolin' anyone. It's us and the British, and Tony Blair is catchin' more hell over there than I am here. None o'that would matter if what we were doin' was truly the right thing. I mean, it's the end of February and I have yet to hear a credible plan for what we're gonna do with Iraq when we win the war.
"Colin, your Pottery Barn analogy stuck in my head. You know–'if we break it, we own it?' We haven't fixed anything after we broke it since just after World War II. Naw...I just...can't send young men and women to die for this. I want to get rid of Sadaam. I want to make sure he doesn't have the capacity to make WMDs or export them to anyone else. I just think, upon some serious reflection, that this isn't the best way to do it, or, let me rephrase that–it isn't in the best interests of the United States to do it this way, and as the person with the ultimate responsibility for makin' that decision, I gotta do what's best for the country even if it means I'm writin' my own political obituary. So, there it is. Oh, there's one more thing. I'm going to be asking for Don Rumsfeld's resignation and Colin, I'd like for you to move over to Defense and Condi, you'll take State. Whadda y'all think? Condi?"
The four advisors sat in their chairs in a collective bewilderment. It would have been hard to figure out whose wheels were turning the most. Condoleezza Rice's name was called, but she wasn't ready to speak.
"Mr. President, this certainly is shocking, I mean, given the timing of this...I know that you have given this matter the greatest consideration and yet... I can't help but wonder if maybe we're being a little hasty..."
"Condi, we're going to war any day! Soon as I give the word! Franks is ready to go, Cheney's breathin' down my neck, Rumsfeld's like a caged tiger...I mean, I need to be as hasty as I can right now if I'm gonna stop this thing. Colin?"
"Mr. President, I think it's an enormously courageous action that you are contemplating, and I will back you one hundred percent."
"As will I, Mr. President," said Condoleezza Rice, hastily. "I'm sorry, you caught me a bit off guard–"
"I've been doin' that quite a bit lately, huh?"
"Well, yes, as a matter of fact. But I think it's a good thing overall, the ability to be able to adjust one's thinking to a new set of suppositions. I just want to make absolutely sure that we are not trading one set of radical ideas for another."
"If you can explain to me what's radical about goin' harder after al-Qaeda in Afghanistan, and redoubling our efforts in Israel-Palestine, and makin' the Saudis more accountable, I'm all ears."
"Putting it that way, sir, it makes perfect sense. And I'm flattered that you would consider me for State."
"Well, we just gotta convince Colin here to move over, heh-heh-heh. Andy, we have some quick work to do. We need to bring over the Congressional leaders ASAP. And get Gerson and Frum in here. I gotta start workin' on an address to the American people. Gotta admit it isn't the one I thought I'd be giving. Ari, secure network time for tomorrow night. That oughta give me enough time to do all the dirty business I gotta do around here. And don't worry, you won't have to spill the beans—I'll do it. Condi, I want you to arrange a special NSC meeting for this afternoon. That one is gonna be a doozy. We oughta tape it for posterity."
The infamous National Security Council session of the 24th of February, 2003, known evermore as "The White House Showdown," was a full meeting, meaning deputies as well as principals attending. Therefore the room was packed with seats along the walls as President Bush marched in to address the group. There had been no leaks of the President's decision. The only people in the room who knew of it were the four who had been briefed earlier. This promised to be a complete surprise.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I have decided, using the powers vested in me as Commander-In-Chief of the Combined Armed Forces of the United States, to order an indefinite halt to plans for the invasion of Iraq effective immediately upon cessation of this meeting. My decision is final, and I leave it to the appropriate departments to perform this order."
The room started buzzing in an immediate and improper breach of etiquette, but one voice boomed over the rest.
"WHAT, frankly, IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!?"
"The meaning, Mr. Vice President, is that I'm pulling the plug on Iraq. I'm ordering units on their way to Iraq to be rerouted to Afghanistan along the Pakistani border. We're gonna finish one job before we start another."
Dick Cheney let go of any remaining attempt at propriety. "Do you have any idea what this means? We've got Special Ops soldiers already in the field! Simply stated, our allies in the region will never trust another word we say. This is madness, and you won't get away with it!" The room buzzed louder with excitement bordering on mania.
"They'll simply join the rest of the world in not believing anything we have said in the past year, Dick," offered Colin Powell over the din.
"It's YOU! You're behind this aren't you, you...Liberal!" Dick Cheney, using the sharpest invective in his playbook, was pointing his finger right at the Secretary of State.
"No, Dick, it was me," replied the President calmly.
Meanwhile, one seat over, Donald Rumsfeld was being slapped on the back in an attempt to save him from choking to death. He had been in mid-sip when the President made his announcement. A few seats down, George Tenet, in full beard and short ponytail, and wearing a dashiki and sandals, was rhythmically banging his forehead on the mahogany table singing what sounded like "We Shall Overcome." Paul Wolfowitz, his face scrunched up like a shi-tzu, was beginning to cry in the chair behind Rumsfeld, while Ari Fleischer restrained John Bolton from going after the President. Douglas Feith, fangs bared, was literally barking at Condoleezza Rice. An ice cube popped out of Donald Rumsfeld's throat and shot across the table, hitting Attorney General John Ashcroft in the eye, waking him up. The room was on the verge of utter chaos. Finally new Joint Chiefs Chairman Peter Pace stood up, un-holstered his pistol and fired two rounds into the ceiling, temporarily quieting the room.
"Thanks, General Pace," said the President. There were still two or three steady but muffled growls going on around the room. "Don, I've decided to relieve you of the job of Secretary of Defense. Given that we're going in another direction, I thought your talents could be used elsewhere. Therefore, I'm naming you Ambassador to Moldova, effective noon tomorrow. Your first task will be to inform the President of Moldova that we're taking back Super Bowl Fifty-One. General Powell will be assuming the position, and Condoleezza Rice will be the new Secretary of State."
"This is a coup!!" The room immediately started the manic buzzing again. Donald Rumsfeld was asking questions out loud that no one could hear. George Tenet had relieved himself of the dashiki and was doing a modified Harvest Dance covered only in a camouflage thong in front of a horrified Robert Mueller.
"No, Dick, this is preventing a coup," countered George W. Bush.
"A coup!!" Someone shouted from the back row. "Get him!!"
John Bolton broke free of his restraints and lunged at the President, tearing a cufflink off his shirt, and ripping his cuff. Generals Powell and Pace reacted immediately, with Colin Powell grabbing the Under Secretary and, in a brilliant martial arts maneuver, flipping him back hard, face first into a pair of empty chairs. Douglas Feith had raced forward as well, but was restrained by none other than Vice President Cheney, who shoved him violently back down in his seat. Paul Wolfowitz started swearing in Hebrew, which didn't seem to have the effect he intended. General Pace stood over the President with his pistol armed and cocked.
"Gentlemen! Control yourselves!" Dick Cheney was staring down his followers. "Now is not the time or the place. We all, more or less, believe in the rule of law, and, frankly, we'll let the law run its course. "But you," said the steaming Cheney turning to the President. "You are, in fact, threatening to destroy the entire plan that has been years in the making and is the crowning achievement of many of the people in this room. Either you never learned or have conveniently forgotten the dirty little secret of the American economy: we need oil and we need war. Iraq, in my mind, provided us with both. So now, President Do-Gooder, you're going to have to find another source of both, or you and your newfound best friends are going to paint yourselves into an economic crisis that will crush your chances of reelection. You may, in point of fact, get away with your pansy-ass little scheme because the fucking Constitution says you can! Yes, you may win this battle, but mark my words: you won't win the war. Simply stated, in a year-and-a-half, you are going to be a distant bad memory for the Republican Party so help me God! And now I may go and have a heart attack." The Vice President pushed back his chair, and with a "Gentlemen! Don!" motioned for his minions to rise. Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, Feith, and the wounded Bolton stood up and followed Cheney past the sitting President Bush and on out the door, John Bolton spitting on the rug near the President as he passed. They were followed by George Tenet, who had somehow secured a tambourine and was playing it vigorously as he danced along behind the neocons, apparently thinking the meeting was over.
"What's wrong with George lately?" asked a concerned George W. Bush to Andy Card.
"I don't know–CIA is a pretty stressful job right now," answered the President's Chief of Staff.
"Well, I didn't expect a whole lotta support from them fellas," said the President to those who were left as he replaced the cufflink back on his torn shirt. "so this doesn't really surprise me. I don't expect a warm and fuzzy reaction from Tommy Franks, either, but at least that'll be over the phone, so I won't be in any physical danger, heh-heh-heh. Ari, I suspect we'll have to move the address up to tonight, 'cause there's no way this secret's gonna hold."
"That's probably correct, sir. I'll get right on it."
"Andy, get the leaders of Congress over here ASAP so they don't hear about this on TV tonight."
"Will do sir."
"And now Condi, Colin, let's go call Tommy Franks and give him the good news, and then I have to call Tony Blair."
"???Mother@#$%*^&!!!Fu$%(#**!!??Sonuva*%&@#!!!"
"Now hold on a minute, Tommy–"
Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice could clearly hear Tommy Franks through the President's telephone receiver.
"!!%$#Stupid&^(%$???$@#Ass!@$)%##?!!!"
"General Franks, I understand you've done a lot of–"
"??!!?$$"?Shit$#%***!??!#$%%Dickface$#(@)_)~~@!!!"
"General Franks, this is your Commander-In-Chief speaking and–"
"!~~@#$%Monkeyass%$)#??@#)$~!@#&%%!!??!"
"Hey, same to you, buddy! I hope you like it in Kosovo–I hear it's pretty cold there this time of year!" The President slammed down the phone. "That went real well. Hey Andy! Andy!"
"Yes, Mr. President." Andy Card came in from his outer office.
"Andy, make a note that we're reassigning General Franks to Camp Bondsteel in Kosovo, and get ahold of General Zinni for me, will ya?"
The President's next call was to British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
"Tony, I wanted you to be the first person outside of the inner circle here to know–I'm pulling the plug on Iraq."
"What? You're what? No! You can't! I–I've staked my entire political career on this!" It was obvious Tony Blair was devastated. The catch in his throat sounded suspiciously like he was starting cry. "George, you led me on. How could you? Oh God, now what will I do?" Over the speakerphone came the sound of nose blowing and general snuffling.
"Now, Tony, get a grip on yourself and listen to me. This is a good thing. You'll just have to spin it right, let the British people know that you are man of peace, that you won't have to send British soldiers into danger."
"Oh, George! I'm ruined! This is... awful!" And then the Prime Minister had an idea.
"Umm, say George, do you think–ah, no, it's too...no, forget about it."
"What, Tony, what? Tell me. I owe ya one."
"Well, could I maybe..." The Prime Minister hedged and huffed. "Could I maybe say it was my idea? I mean, it might–"
"Your idea?!? This wasn't your idea!"
"Uhh, no, wait... Oh! How about we came up with it together? Yes–brilliant! We came up with it together–how about it George, please? Pretty please? This might save my political career."
The President could well feel Tony Blair on his knees. "Aww, geez, Tony, I dunno...c'mon Tony, stop cryin'...okay, okay–it can be our idea, alright?"
"Ohhh, bless you George!! Bless you!! I love you, George!"
"I love you, too, Tony."
The meeting with Congressional leaders didn't go well, either. Republicans in the room were either too upset to be shocked, or too shocked to be upset. Democrats, who one would have figured to have received the news with more equanimity, were inwardly even more upset because they felt that they had been finagled to go on record before the November mid-term elections as voting for a war that now wasn't going to happen.
The President then spent the rest of the afternoon and the early part of the evening working on his address to the American people. Speechwriters came in and out of his office, making revisions, taking words and phrases out, and adding others. He felt strangely at peace, even though he knew there were tough times ahead. He finally was finding his voice as a leader.
At 8PM EST, President George W. Bush addressed the nation:
"My fellow Americans, on September the 11th, 2001, the United States of America suffered the most brutal attack on its own soil in the history of our nation. Almost three thousand people were killed that day. As your President it is my job to make sure that this kind of attack never happens again. We have taken many steps in the past seventeen months to see that it doesn't. The new Department of Homeland Security has taken major steps forward towards securing our borders, our airports, and our sea ports from terrorists who want to destroy our very way of life. We are disrupting the flow of money to the terrorists by obtaining the cooperation of the international banking system and the large multinational financial corporations in countries all over the world. We took the fight to the terrorists in Afghanistan and although we haven't found Osama bin Laden yet, we have destroyed much of his infrastructure and captured many al-Qaeda leaders."
At Swilligan's in Rockford, Illinois, the men and women gathered at the bar listened and nodded as the President began his speech firmly, if unspectacularly.
"Lately, however, our attention has been diverted to another country, and that is the nation of Iraq, and the brutal dictatorship of Sadaam Hussein. This is a man whose Stalinesque hold on his own people has resulted in the murder of hundreds of thousands of Iraqi citizens in the name of consolidating his Baathist Party's grip on power. It is well known that Sadaam Hussein used chemical weapons on his own people, the Kurdish population of the town of Halabja, near the end of the Iran-Iraq War. Of his evilness, we have no doubt. Time and again, Sadaam Hussein has also defied United Nations Resolutions demanding that he disarm his country of the weapons of mass destruction that he allegedly still has. The United States has made the promise that if he doesn't disarm, we will disarm him, alone if need be. There have also been indications that the Iraqi regime has consorted with the al-Qaeda terrorists, and there is ample evidence that Sadaam Hussein has funded Palestinian and Lebanese resistance groups."
"This is where he puts the hammer down," said Kyle Underwood, a bartender at Swilligan's, to no one in particular.
"The lessons of the two world wars of the twentieth century have taught us that the United States cannot live in isolation from the rest of the world. Since the end of World War II and especially since the breakup of the Soviet Union, our nation has had to assume a more global responsibility that is commensurate with our overwhelming power."
The President paused for a moment. Up until now, the address seemed to be the introduction to the announcement of the start of military hostilities that most of the country expected at any moment. Then George W. Bush took a startling turn:
"As your President, I am tasked with the responsibility to weigh all of these things with the ultimate goal to keep the American people safe, and to uphold, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States of America. As Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces, I am also the person responsible for sending the brave men and women of the United States military into Harm's Way, knowing full well that a certain percentage of them will not come back to their families and loved ones alive. Others will be seriously wounded or maimed. I have had to face and console the parents, children, and spouses of military men and women who were killed in battle in Afghanistan, and the one thing I can tell those who grieve that offers some degree of consolation, although no justification is truly enough, is that their soldier died for a just cause, their sacrifice necessary for the greater good of all Americans. I hold this sacred responsibility in the highest regard, along with the knowledge that in any aggressive action taken by the United States military, no matter how modern the technology, or how careful the planning, innocent civilians on the side of the enemy are going to be killed. These civilian casualties are often represented in the cold language of conflict as 'collateral damage.' However, each and every life on this planet is precious, a part of God's creation, and we who have the responsibility of sending our military into conflict also must bear responsibility for these casualties."
"Where's he going with this?" asked Brit Hume off-camera on the FoxNews set, where the network was covering the speech.
"The Iraqi people have suffered through thirty-five years of repression, war, and devastating sanctions that have left their economy shattered, their people weak, and their children malnourished and dying. Another war in that fragile and fractured society would almost assuredly engulf Iraq in sectarian and ethnic violence resulting in many, many more civilian casualties and, absent strong postwar leadership, could sow the seeds of a long and bloody civil war."
"I swear he's turning into Carter, right in front of our eyes," replied Sean Hannity.
"I have sifted through the evidence; I have diligently studied the matter; I have consulted experts on all sides of the issue, and I have concluded that a war with Iraq is not in the best interests of the United States at this time. The evidence is simply not strong enough to risk spilling the blood of American soldiers. A war with Iraq now would siphon vital resources from our effort in Afghanistan just at the moment we have al-Qaeda on the run–demoralized, and nearly destroyed. Therefore, I am ordering the Combined Armed Forces of the United States of America to stand down in their staging areas in the Persian Gulf effective immediately. I have also ordered the 4th Infantry Division, under Major General Ray Odierno, and the 101st Airborne Division, under Lieutenant General David Petraeus, to be diverted to Afghanistan to take up positions in the area near the border of Pakistan. I have asked Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf to grant American forces in Afghanistan the Right of Pursuit into the autonomous tribal areas in the Northwest portion of his country in order to root out and destroy remaining Taliban and al-Qaeda forces that have slipped across the border into Pakistan."
"Holy shit!" said Kyle Underwood at Swilligan's as the crowd buzzed with the news.
"Holy shit!" said Brit Hume, as Sean Hannity fell straight backward and hit his head on the newsroom floor.
"Given the fact that Osama bin Laden and fifteen of the nineteen hijackers were Saudi Arabian citizens, I have called on Crown Prince Abdullah and the royal Saudi government to immediately and thoroughly curtail the funding and support of extreme Islamists, and stop the export of this violent perversion of Islam, or face the consequences. This is not open to negotiation. Saudi Arabia has been a great friend of the United States of America for over sixty years, and, of course, we would like this relationship to continue and prosper, but like every other nation on the earth, she has to understand that she cannot be on the side of peace and freedom, and also be on the side of terrorism and jihad."
"Ma bisadi il khara gher la yara!" said Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah, watching from his palace on his 119" plasma screen TV, as he struck Prince Bandar on the head with his diamond-encrusted cane.
"I also want to announce that it is with regret that I have accepted the resignation of Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. Secretary Rumsfeld has done a superb job in managing our nation's military, and our nation thanks him for his hard work, his dedication, and his patriotism during these eventful times. I will miss him. I have nominated Secretary of State Colin Powell to replace Donald Rumsfeld at Defense, and have nominated National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice to fill the job of Secretary of State. Both of these people have my fullest confidence. I am sending General Powell and Dr. Rice to the Middle East in a few days to assess the situation first-hand in Israel and in the Palestinian Territories. A Middle East Peace Agreement is of the utmost importance to the United States, and to all those seeking peace in the world, and I will work hard to see a viable Palestinian state and a safe and secure Israel living side by side."
"Holy crapoli, what'd I do?" said Donald Rumsfeld, watching as he packed for Moldova.
"There are those who will ask, 'How could I bring the United States to the very brink of war and then not go through with it?' This is a fair question, and deserves a fair answer. First of all, I want to remind Sadaam Hussein and his regime that all options remain on the table. Just because we have chosen to allow inspectors to take more time to finish their job and have sheathed our swords for the time being, does not mean that we will not act in the future, in a time of our own choosing. Secondly, I want to level with the American people and say that in my desire to protect and defend this nation, I may have been overzealous in taking the fight to Iraq at this time. Harry Truman had a sign on his desk that read, 'The Buck Stops Here!' Well, I agree with that statement, and as your President, I take the ultimate responsibility for this. But in the final analysis, it is better to recognize this now before the spilling of blood, than to stubbornly go ahead with a war about which I have come to have grave reservations.
I hope you will join me in praying for wisdom, courage, and strength in these trying times, and I will continue to serve my country in the best way that I know how. May God bless you, and God bless America."
The reaction around the world was immediate and hugely favorable. From Beijing to Buenos Aires, Cairo to Copenhagen, editorial writers heaped praise upon a President who had been written off as hopelessly inept; an intractably narrow-minded religious zealot in the firm clutches of his minders. United Nations General Secretary Kofi Annan hailed the speech as a "watershed moment in the history of diplomacy" and called on Iraq to take advantage of this enormous opportunity for peace.
What was even more stunning was the reaction of the people on the street. Spontaneous peace demonstrations broke out in several large European cities, and more surprisingly, in Amman, Jordan, Teheran, Iran, and Bogotá, Columbia. Overnight, George W. Bush was acclaimed as the world's peacemaker, with a glowing headline is Paris Le Monde exclaiming, "The Remarkable Transformation of George W. Bush!"
An important dissenting voice outside of the US was heard in Israel, where former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, echoing sentiment heard in many corners of Israel, told reporters that President Bush's speech represented a huge step backward for peace in the region, and hinted that Israel may have no choice but to take matters into its own hands. The other voices of dissent came from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and from Pakistan. Crown Prince Abdullah issued a terse statement through a spokesman that the Kingdom was deeply offended by President Bush's statements, and demanded an immediate apology or face the alternative of possible oil shortages in the near future. Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf initially rejected out-of-hand the American request for the Right of Pursuit into his country as an affront to Pakistani sovereignty.
Curiously, Saddam Hussein, in a glimpse of what made him the pariah of the Middle East, taunted President Bush as a coward and a lamb, crowing that "President Bush apparently does not want to contend with the lion that is the mighty Iraqi Army. He has, indeed, saved the lives of uncounted American soldiers, and for that, their mothers should thank him."
It was inside the United States that the speech created the most polarizing attitudes. In an unprecedented transfer of opinion from one partisan group to another that was deemed by one pundit as "looking through a funhouse mirror," the liberal voices of The Nation, The Village Voice, and Tikkun hailed the President's about-face as "remarkable," "a stunning turn of events," and even, "finally, a truly Christian thing to do by this most overt of Christian presidents." John Nichols of The Nation wrote, "The voice of reason and sanity, missing in the White House for over a year, was single-handedly restored by a president that many on our side of the aisle were convinced didn't have it in him. I must go on record publicly as saying I was wrong, and I salute George W. Bush for his courage to change in the face of what could only be tremendous internal pressure to take this nation into an ill-advised and illegal war."
The mainstream media was falling all over itself to uncover the story behind the reversal, and attention immediately focused again on both the Camp David Roundtable and "the White House Rasputin," Mo Levison. Speculation focused on whether there would be a full-scale purge or revolt of the neocons in the Bush Administration. Vice President Dick Cheney's status was the subject of intense debate. There were hints and rumors of the instability of the President's mental state; that he had seen visions or ghosts; that he might be drinking again.
But it was from his formerly loyal base on the right that the mightiest venom spewed. It was truly a remarkable thing to watch the fireworks emanate from the right wing when it was belching and spitting fire. The depth and the breadth of a lover scorned reached heights previously unscaled. The Washington Times headline blared, "WHAT THE HELL?!?" and the under headline read, "Treason, Betrayal in the White House." Ann Coulter, proving Mo Levison a prophet, called for the President's assassination. Pat Robertson, in a similar vein, issued a fatwa from his headquarters in Virginia City that called for the swift elimination of President Bush by any means possible. The Reverend Jerry Falwell took it one step further and called on his Christian followers to march on the White House and take it by force. Rush Limbaugh took up the banner of treason, and called for the President's impeachment. "This, my friends, is far worse than the 'stained blue dress.'" He also made the first pitch for a Newt Gingrich presidential bid in 2004, calling him the possible savior of Conservatism. Michael Savage's radio broadcast the next afternoon was so full of spluttering obscenities aimed at the President that the plug was pulled on his show after forty-five seconds on the air. On Hannity & Colmes, Michelle Malkin stuck pins in a George W. Bush voodoo doll. Bill O'Reilly stripped down to his boxers and challenged President Bush to a fight on his show. "C'mon, you pinko coward! Mano a mano!" Other right-wingers thought George W. Bush could not possibly be in his right state of mind, and wondered if he was being drugged or poisoned or even hypnotized by his Machiavellian friend, Mo Levison. Levison quickly became the lightning rod for all things horrible concerning the President's change of heart. Focus on the Family's James Dobson was convinced that President Bush was possessed by the Devil, and called for a "National Day of Exorcism."
What did the people of America think? Though public opinion was generally favorable, politically savvy types who were against the war seemed to be skeptical of the President's sincerity. It was hard for many people, especially those who didn't care for him to begin with, to believe that George W. Bush could undergo such a change of heart. Security Republicans–the dittoheads, the FoxNews watchers–were, of course, as outraged as their heroes told them to be. If George W. Bush was indeed going to stand for reelection, he was going to have to find another base. Evangelical Christian followers of author Tim LaHaye's popular Left Behind series were bound to be disappointed that LaHaye's version of Armageddon was going to have to be postponed, the Rapture delayed.
One voice remained silent during the week following the President's speech. Uncovering Dick Cheney's whereabouts had always been a kind of Washington parlor game since 9/11, and this week was no exception. Beltway insiders were well aware of the growing rift between Cheney and Powell, and Cheney and the President. Word of the explosive NSC meeting had surprisingly not leaked to the press, but there was a reason for this. The Vice President had imposed a strict muzzle on his neo-cons; he did not want his plans outed before they were completely finalized. So Cheney, as well as Rumsfeld and the others, remained underground–in Cheney's case, literally underground, in his lair. This did not stop the 24/7 press, of course, from engaging in every sort of speculation, from contemplating a coup (a suggestion thoughtfully put forward by the recovered Sean Hannity), to wholesale firings or resignations a lá the darkest days of the Nixon Watergate drama.
The President received positive messages from former Presidents Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter, who both hailed his step back from the brink of war. Carter's telegram mentioned the idea that the President may have put himself in line for the Nobel Peace Prize. While former President Bill Clinton was cautiously optimistic about the development, his former vice president and the man George W. Bush defeated in 2000, Al Gore, was highly complimentary of the President's move. President Bush received personal calls of support from Russian President Vladimir Putin, French President Jacques Chirac, and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder.
All of the media buzz, the positive as well as negative, left the President largely unmoved. He had an assured serenity that seemed to come from a higher source. In an interview with CNN's Aaron Kitursky, the President seemed to almost encourage dissent. "Aaron, I know there are gonna be some folks who disagree with this decision, and that's okay–that's part of participating in the free society that we live in. I think I'll let history be the judge of this. You know, Abraham Lincoln told me–uh, I mean I understand that he made some decisions that were extremely unpopular at the time he made 'em, but were later understood to have been the right thing to do." And later in the same interview: "I'm sleeping really well. Any time you make a decision that is going to save the lives of American soldiers and innocent civilians, well, I think that's a pretty good day and I'm more than willing to suffer the consequences of that decision."
The consequences of the decisions to halt the war in Iraq, fire Donald Rumsfeld, and increase the troop levels in Afghanistan were yet to come. There was no doubt, however, based on the reaction of the Conservative community, that these consequences would be harsh politically for the President, as the backlash was already severe. This, then, would provide the real test for George W. Bush's newfound serenity.
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