US President George W. Bush warned on Saturday that Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein could strike without notice and inflict "massive and sudden horror" on the US, offering a new rationale for pre-emptive military action against the country.
In the run-up to key congressional votes on war-making authority, Bush promised in the clearest terms yet to rebuild Iraq after a war. He also said the Iraqi president has a "horrible history" of attacking his enemies first.
"We cannot ignore history. We must not ignore reality. We must do everything we can to disarm this man before he hurts one single American," Bush told cheering police and National Guardsmen.
A leading Democrat, Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, strongly challenged the "strike first" policy as Bush made a quiet trip to New Hampshire to address soldiers and police officers and then attend a US$500,000 fund-raiser for Republican Senate candidate John Sununu.
The president's remarks reflect subtle changes the White House is making in its case against Saddam as Bush prepares to address the nation tonight from Cincinnati, Ohio.
Advisers say the address -- now in its fifth draft -- seeks to synthesize the case against Saddam, the reasons war may be necessary and why the threat is imminent. Bush and his advisers were tinkering with the speech during a weekend stay at his parents' home in Kennebunkport, Maine.
Bush won agreement last week with a bipartisan group of House leaders for a resolution allowing him to use force against Iraq. Senate Democrats are more skeptical, though a resolution is expected to pass as early as this week.
"Pre-emptive strikes are something we have to take very, very seriously and carefully," Daschle said Saturday on CNN. "Number one, what kind of a standard does it set for the rest of the world? If it's OK for us, is it OK for India? How about Russia? How about Israel?"
Daschle said the House resolution gave Bush too much latitude to wage war. He questioned whether there is enough evidence that Iraq poses an imminent threat and said Bush has failed to explain how Iraq would be rebuilt after war.
"How long will we be there? What will it entail, on the part of the United States? How much will it cost? Who will be involved?" Daschle asked.
Bush's struggle to pass a tough UN resolution on Iraq was underscored Saturday when Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov said the return of weapons inspectors to Iraq should not be delayed. Bush wants the mission postponed while he presses for a new UN mandate.
"The message to Russia is this is about peace, this is about how to preserve peace, by removing the greatest threat to peace," White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said.
Taiwan’s Lee Chia-hao (李佳豪) on Sunday won a silver medal at the All England Open Badminton Championships in Birmingham, England, a career best. Lee, 25, took silver in the final of the men’s singles against world No. 1 Shi Yuqi (石宇奇) of China, who won 21-17, 21-19 in a tough match that lasted 51 minutes. After the match, the Taiwanese player, who ranks No. 22 in the world, said it felt unreal to be challenging an opponent of Shi’s caliber. “I had to be in peak form, and constantly switch my rhythm and tactics in order to score points effectively,” he said. Lee got
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