Bush Pledges to Use Diplomacy

After a meeting with NATO Secretary-General George Robertson, President Bush pledged to give Iraq “one more chance,” and pursue disarmament through the UN. The administration was quick to make clear that if the UN would not produce a tough and persuasive resolution, the US would lead its own coalition to disarm Iraq.There is a great deal of confusion as to what the Administration’s position really is. A month ago, “regime change” was the order of the day. Since engaging the UN, that rhetoric has softened and the administration has appeared to begin defining “regime change” as disarmament. The reasoning is that if the Iraqi leadership allows for full disarmament, that would represent a profound change in the regime. Good coverage of this in another NY Times piece.