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thedrifter
10-14-03, 06:15 AM
DIARY EXPERPTS FROM FORMER PRESIDENT GEORGE BUSH
'No way to describe the pressure'


Though reticent in public, former President George Bush often shared his private thoughts in correspondence, diary entries and memos collected into a 1999 book, All the Best: My Life in Letters and Other Writings (Simon & Schuster). The elder Bush agonized over the 1991 Persian Gulf War. The following are excerpts of his writings both before and during

the war.

The air campaign started Jan. 16. The 100-hour ground war started Feb. 23. The beginning of the ground war was code- named K-Day.

Jan. 15: 'There is no way to describe the pressure. . . . The reports from Baghdad are defiant. People marching in the streets. Their faces smile and they chant. And I think, `Oh God, save their lives.' There's a kid that comes on television and I pray to God that [the bombs] will be accurate and we will not hit that child.''

Jan. 16: 'I have never felt a day like this in my life. I am very tired. I didn't sleep well and this troubles me because I must go to the nation at 9 o'clock. My lower gut hurts, nothing like when I had the bleeding ulcer. But I am aware of it, and I take a couple of Mylantas. People keep coming up, and saying, `God Bless you.' ''

Operation Desert Storm began at 7 p.m.

Jan. 21: I must say I get tired of hearing the whining reporters saying that they are not getting enough information. I am sitting here watching ABC, and there have been some comments. . . that they are being ''spoon fed'' and then they are trying to show that we are in disarray in terms of bomb damage, or what our objectives are. Press, God bless them, are a menace that we can't live with, and we can't live without.

Jan. 24: I received a remarkable letter from the widow of the first American pilot killed in Desert Storm, Lieutenant Commander Scott Speicher. She sent me a note saying ``I want you to know that I feel the same way now that my husband and I felt when he was deployed last August. We supported you then and I support you now with all my heart.''

Dear Mrs. Speicher, Dear Joanne,

You sent me a very moving telegram. Barbara and I read it together, and we shed a tear for your noble husband. And we said a prayer that God give you the continued strength and courage that you have now.

I have read about Scott. He must have been ''Mr. Perfect'' for he was loved by all.

Sometimes, God moves in strange ways -- ways we do not understand right away.

The fact is your husband gave his life not simply so a small country could once again be free, but so that those kids of yours will have a better chance to grow up in a world more peaceful, more just. Give your kids a big hug from both Barbara and me. We know what family and faith can do to lift you up when you are hurt. And clearly those kids have a mother who loves them and whose courage will lead them.

I am proud of your wonderful husband and I will never forget him.

George Bush

[ EDITOR'S NOTE: The Pentagon last fall reclassified the case of Scott Speicher as Missing/Captured,'' suggesting U.S. intelligence believes Speicher may be a POW in Iraq. Speicher is a Florida State University graduate whose family lives in Jacksonville].

Feb. 14: ``K-Day is approaching, and I feel quite content. I wish it were tomorrow. I have no qualms now about ordering a ground war -- none at all. I don't have the aching that I felt the night before the bombing started and we went to war. The reason is that the military are unanimous in recommending the course of action that Colin [Powell] and [Dick] Cheney outlined to me the other day. I have not second-guessed; I have not told them what targets to hit; I have not told them how much ordnance to use or how much not to use, or what weapons to use and not to use. I have learned from Vietnam.''

Feb. 20: ``I've been plagued by the image of body bags. Everybody who opposed this war -- good people . . . all raised [the issue of] body bags, body bags, and it gets to my heart. Each kid is precious -- each soldier, each Marine, each person who gives his life is precious. But I've got to push forward. . . . Our goal is not the elimination of Saddam Hussein, and yet in many ways it's the only answer.''

A later explanatory note with Bush's diaries: ``I was convinced, as were all our Arab friends and allies, that Hussein would be overthrown once the war ended. That did not and has still not happened. . . .

We were disappointed, but I still do not regret my decision to end the war when we did. . . . We liberated Kuwait and destroyed Hussein's military machine so that he could no longer threaten his neighbors.''




Posted on Sun, Mar. 23, 2003

LETTER FROM GEORGE BUSH TO SADDAM HUSSEIN

January 5, 1991

His Excellency Saddam Hussein

President of the Republic of Iraq

Baghdad

Mr. President:

We stand at the brink of war between Iraq and the world. This is a war that began with your invasion of Kuwait; this is a war that can be ended only by Iraq's full and unconditional compliance with UN Security Council Resolution 678.

I am writing you now, directly, because what is at stake demands that no opportunity be lost to avoid what would be a certain calamity for the people of Iraq. I am writing, as well, because it is said by some that you do not understand just how isolated Iraq is and what Iraq faces as a result. I am not in a position to judge whether this impression is correct; what I can do, though, is try in this letter to reinforce what Secretary of State Baker told your Foreign Minister and eliminate any uncertainty or ambiguity that might exist in your mind about where we stand and what we are prepared to do.

The international community is united in its call for Iraq to leave all of Kuwait without condition and without further delay. This is not simply the policy of the United States; it is the position of the world community as expressed in no less than twelve Security Council resolutions.

We prefer a peaceful outcome. However, anything less than full compliance with UN Security Council Resolution 678 and its predecessors is unacceptable. There can be no reward for aggression. Nor will there be any negotiation. Principle cannot be compromised. However, by its full compliance, Iraq will gain the opportunity to rejoin the international community. More immediately, the Iraqi military establishment will escape destruction. But unless you withdraw from Kuwait completely and without condition, you will lose more than Kuwait. What is at issue is not the future of Kuwait -- it will be free, its government will be restored -- but rather the future of Iraq. This choice is yours to make. . . .

I write this letter not to threaten, but to inform. I do so with no sense of satisfaction, for the people of the United States have no quarrel with the people of Iraq. Mr. President, UN Security Council Resolution 678 established the period before January 15 of this year as a ''pause of good will'' so that this crisis may end without further violence. Whether this pause is used as intended, or merely becomes a prelude to further violence, is in your hands, and yours alone. I hope you weigh your choice carefully and choose wisely, for much will depend on it.

George Bush

[Secretary of State James Baker personally carried this letter to Geneva where he met with the Iraqi foreign minister, who refused

to deliver it to Hussein.]

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/special_packages/iraq/5450893.htm


Sempers,

Roger
:marine: