[sanchmo]

While Stratfor must be taken with a grain or two of salt, I must ask the John Birchers - what say you now?

[john316]

Bush Issues Veiled Ultimatum to United Nations....


Anything but veiled

[4CJ]

Either enforce the resolutions that you passed and that Iraq has mocked for over a decade or the United States essentially will abandon the institution.,

To the UN: Please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please don't enforce the resolutions.

[sanchmo]

Darn...
Duplicate thread by Axion at .

I'll let the free market of ideas decide which should be pulled.

[Nephi]

Washington instead needed leverage. It needed an "or else." It could not be, "Or else we'll go it alone," because the United States could not go it alone, at least not effectively. Washington needed an "or else" that generated active cooperation. It appears from Bush's speech to the United Nations that Washington found the lever it needs.

Or else, we boot the U.N. out of the U.S.?

[Jalapeno]

I always enjoy and appreciate Stratfor's analysis. While it is sometimes bad news, and sometimes wrong, they always support their arguements.

I also believe they are rightfully always cynical, so as for one to not get such a rosey colored picture of what is going on in the world.

That being said, I see this analysis as staing Bush was quite clever in how he put the UN in the corner and is demanding they perform.

I cannot believe Bush would think that anything the UN does will meet his satisfaction. Which is a pattern we saw before with the Taliban...remember how they went from "Give up Osmama, No Way!" to "Talk to our 'Moderate Taliban'(sic) Cleric" to "All we need is more time to examine the evidence" and yet Bush never relaxed the throttle..

The Arab Nations and the UN at large have to respect that Bush means to do what he says he will do. I suspect they are all real nervous.

[Nephi]

While Stratfor must be taken with a grain or two of salt, I must ask the John Birchers - what say you now?

While not a Bircher, my expectations were very low for this speech. Due in part, to the recent news about rejoining UNESCO after Reagan ended our membership in '86. Perhaps, UNESCO is the carrot and his speech was the whip?

Gee, what would happen to Bush if he pulled out a can of whip-ass on the U.N.? I would put his picture up on my wall next to Reagan's, which is below the Saviour's.

[Real Cynic No More]

"... and the question now is not merely about the future of Iraq, but the future of the United Nations."

That is very true and very appropriate. I picked up on that on my first read of the speech.

[NorCoGOP]

Rather than proving the moral or technical need for an attack, Bush checkmated his critics by instead challenging the validity of the very institution they support in hopes of thwarting both despots like Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein and perceived unilateralists like Bush.

Daschle and Gephardts' checkmates are next.

The only thing I wish Bush would have said, but didn't:

"These conditions are not up for discussion or negotiation"

[Oldeconomybuyer]

My interpretation of the President's UN speech today is that unless the UN wants to continue on the road to irrelevancy, they better get aboard the Baghdad Express because the American people are sick and tired of Kofi clatches with Saddam and the unilateral train is leaving the station fixin' to put some whoopass on the Iraqi regime.

[Tailgunner Joe]

[Imal]

While I often find myself wincing at some of Dubya's speeches (mainly due to the numerous malapropisms), I saw this one on live TV and found myself immensely proud of the way he presented himself and his no-nonsense message in front of the entire world. Whether or not one might agree with him, one couldn't deny the power of the man or his words.

Rather than get sidetracked by the various arguments against removing Saddam, Bush simply told the world: "This is what is going on, and here's what needs to be done about it." Using no more than the force of his character and persuasion of his honesty, he told them to put up or shut up. Nicely done!

President Bush confronted the UN with something it couldn't comprehend: true leadership. I look forward to seeing more of it in the future.

Imal

[AdA$tra]

It did not sound "veiled" at all to me.

[Bigun]

Bush Issues Veiled Ultimatum to United Nations

Veiled??? Good GOD how could he have been any LESS veiled?

[TexasCajun]

"Either you are with U.S. or you are with the Terrorist"!!

He made it pretty simple....

[tet68]

Gee, they must have read my post from the other night.

[alloysteel]

If people would listen closely, President Bush did not advocate a unilateral strike. He called upon the UN to enforce its own directives, and made clear the effects of failure to carry out the injunctions which have already been called for on Saddam Hussein. Saddam may be counted upon, that he will do something so flatly arrogant, so egregious, that we shall have no other alternative but to remove him from any position of power. He really does have a choice, right now. Resign and go into exile, and we won't pursue. Allow a peaceful regime change, or there may be one H*ll of an election campaign in Baghdad.

[Tailgunner Joe]

U.S. rejoins UNESCO 18 years after withdrawal

[The Great Satan]

There was no ultimatum. What we heard today was just a stall, to keep the ball in play for another few months (or a couple of years once we start going with the tit-for-tat over utterly pointless weapons inspections) while we scramble to build up our defenses against Saddam's grab-bag of goodies. Nothing wrong with that, by the way -- it seems like a reasonable strategy for dealing with a very prickly situation. But let's not have any illusions about what happened today. Bush blinked.

[Dog Gone]

I've bashed Stratfor some really stupid things they have said, especially about military options.

But I'll have to give them credit here. This is exactly what I thought after I read the speech.

Bush put them in a nearly impossible position. And it doesn't matter which way the UN decides, because we're going anyway.

[Scott from the Left Coast]

I've seen heavier veils on loose Islamic women.