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Longer harder than predicted { March 23 2003 } Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/23/international/worldspecial/23PREX.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/23/international/worldspecial/23PREX.html
March 23, 2003
Bush Warns That the War in Iraq May Last Longer Than Anticipated
By DAVID E. SANGER
WASHINGTON, March 22 — President Bush gathered his war council at Camp David this morning, while warning that the war in Iraq "could be longer and more difficult than some have predicted."
Mr. Bush's caution reflected a concern within the White House that the relatively quick progress made by forces moving through southern Iraq, and the apparent disarray of the Iraqi leadership in the opening days of the war, could create expectations of a quick victory.
But even as Mr. Bush spoke, in his prerecorded radio address that was broadcast today, there were reports of continuing negotiations between American military units and some Iraqi commanders over unit-by-unit surrenders.
One senior American official said that on Thursday evening, American forces believed that some units of the Republican Guard, among the forces most trusted by Saddam Hussein, had been prepared to lay down their arms without a fight. "Then it broke down, and we're not entirely sure why," the official said. Possibly, he said, "the Iraqis wondered how serious we were about going all the way to Baghdad."
Administration officials are clearly hoping that air attacks on Mr. Hussein's palaces and intelligence strongholds in the capital will dispel those doubts. They said there would be renewed discussions over the weekend.
"There's a lot of interest in the Administration in coming back to these talks before they reach the outskirts of Baghdad," said one senior Arab official. "But it is all based on your assessment about whether Saddam's team is cracking. We don't know the answer, and the Iraqi commanders may not know it, either."
American officials were struggling today to assess which leaders, if any, were killed in the attack on a leadership compound in Baghdad that inaugurated the war. So far the United States has apparently not been able to get anyone on the ground in Baghdad to determine the damage, and to conclude who might have been there.
"They believe they made some very good hits in the bunkers," said Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson, a Republican from Texas, after some members of the Senate were briefed by the Pentagon. "And there's been very little communication, after that first hit, out of their command post, but no confirmation whatsoever."
The administration's assessments of how close the Iraqi government is to cracking were expected to be a main subject of a meeting at Camp David today. Participants will include Vice President Dick Cheney; Secretary of State Colin L. Powell; Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld; the director of central intelligence, George J. Tenet, and the national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice.
In addition to the cabinet secretaries, other officials who attended included Andrew H. Card, the White House chief of staff, and Paul Wolfowitz, the deputy secretary of defense who has long pressed for a military operation to topple Mr. Hussein. Gen. Richard B. Meyers, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and his deputy, Gen. Peter Pace, were also at the meeting.
Mr. Bush made no effort in his radio address today to justify the attacks that he announced on Wednesday night, and he ignored the arguments of France, Russia and China that he is conducting a war of dubious legality. "Now that conflict has come, the only way to limit its duration is to apply decisive force," he said.
Repeating a line from his speech of Wednesday, he added: "This will not be a campaign of half-measures. It is a fight for the security of our nation and the peace of the world, and we will accept no outcome but victory."
The White House said this afternoon that Mr. Bush's meeting lasted from 8:45 a.m. until 10:15 a.m., and shortly thereafter Mr. Cheney was seen returning to his residence in Washington by helicopter.
Democratic leaders of Congress muted their criticism of Mr. Bush today and affirmed their support for military men and women fighting the war in Iraq.
"We speak today not as members of a political party, but as Americans," said Tom Daschle of South Dakota, the Senate Democratic leader. "Today, a quarter of a million Americans are in the Persian Gulf, risking their lives to disarm Saddam Hussein. Our nation is united in gratitude and respect for them and in support for our commander in chief."
Representative Nancy Pelosi of California, the House Democratic leader, said she had not supported "the resolution that brought us into this war." But she added: "I join Senator Daschle in honoring our courageous men and women in uniform, including tens of thousands from my state of California. They are an inspiration."
The Democrats spoke together in a radio address.
Mr. Daschle spoke of an old tradition under which military personnel going into combat take small mementos from home to remind them why they are fighting.
"In this battle," Mr. Daschle said, "our men and women in the Gulf carry something else as well. They carry with them the thoughts and prayers of every American. They also have our commitment that they will have everything they need to achieve their mission."
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