Nov. 20, 2002 – On a trip to Eastern Europe to drum up and to consolidate support for the Iraq war, Bush travels to Prague, Czech Republic, and makes a joint appearance with Czech President Vaclav Havel:

 
“We did talk about Iraq. There is universal recognition that Saddam Hussein is a threat to world peace. There's clear understanding that he must disarm in the name of peace. We hope he chooses to do so. Tomorrow we'll discuss the issue. We'll consider what happens if he chooses not to disarm. But one thing is certain; he'll be disarmed, one way or the other, in the name of peace.”

Bush and Havel share a bond despite their cultural and political differences. Vaclav Havel is a fellow client of Republican strategist and Bush campaign consultant Stuart Stevens, based in northern Virginia.

Nov. 22, 2002 – In a meeting at the State Department (INR), the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs Director for Nonproliferation, Francois Richier indicates that France has drawn no conclusion about Iraqi nuclear reconstitution. However, he says that France has information about an Iraq attempt to procure uranium from Niger; Richier says France investigated and determined that no uranium had been shipped. Richier does not directly answer a question whether France has confirmed that Iraq had indeed made this procurement attempt but indicates that French officials believe it.

Nov. 22, 2002 – Captured alleged U.S.S. Cole attacker Al Nashiri is said to be talking, according to a news item released on this anniversary of the JFK assassination, but his location is not disclosed, nor are details of his capture. Releasing limited information at a time when it is sure to be overshadowed is a typical tactic, like releasing unpalatable news items late on a Friday evening.

Same day – Bush, on a trip to St. Petersburg, Russia, appears in a joint photo op with Russian President Vladimir Putin. They issue a joint U.S.-Russia statement on Iraq:
 

“We have expressed our serious concern about the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. In this context, we pledge our full support for the implementation of UN Security Council resolution 1441. We call on Iraq to comply fully and immediately with this and all relevant UN Security Council Resolutions, which were adopted as a necessary step to secure international peace and security.

       We firmly support the efforts of the United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission Chairman and the International Atomic Energy Agency Director General to fulfill their responsibilities under UN Security Council resolutions.

       We call on Iraq, in strict compliance with UNSC resolution 1441, to cooperate fully and unconditionally in its disarmament obligations or face serious consequences.”

Bush is unable to persuade Putin, who is not stupid, to go along with a more sweeping endorsement of military action against Iraq. This limited statement is all he can get from Russia.

Nov. 25, 2002 -- The US Naval Criminal Investigative Service in Marseille, France, reports information from two sources who claim that a large quantity of uranium is currently stored in barrels at the Port of Cotonou, Benin and that Niger’s President has sold this material to Iraq.
http://wid.ap.org/documents/libbytrial/jan24/DX64.pdf [DX64.7]

What were the odds? One week the administration learns that Niger uranium is shipped out through the port of Cotonou, Benin; the next week a shipment of exactly that mysterious commodity is sighted at exactly that port and what’s more, it is said by the NCIS (a two-man office in Marseilles) to be destined for Iraq.

However, further investigation in due course brings reassuring information that actually the warehouse in Cotonou holds not uranium but cotton, see later.

Nov. 26, 2002 – Judith Miller publishes another optimistic piece on post-Saddam Iraq in the New York Times:

 
“Iraqi opposition figures are circulating a detailed plan for transforming Iraq from a dictatorship into an essentially secular democracy in two to three years if President Saddam Hussein is removed from office.                  

       The 98-page report, "The Transition to Democracy in Iraq," was hammered out after fierce debate among representatives of a State Department-supported group that consists of Iraqi intellectuals in exile, representatives of human rights groups, other private organizations and representatives of leading Iraqi opposition groups.    

       The document suggests that the groups have been able to compromise over divisive issues like the role of religion and ethnicity in a post-Hussein Iraq.” (“THREATS AND RESPONSES: THE BLUEPRINT; Iraqi Opposition Circulates Plan for Post-Hussein Era,” A16)