71^st in continuing blog series on the administration push to war. In the last 48 hours before the invasion—which of course the administration has already determined on—the president plays his cruelest prank on the Iraqi people and on the American public. The White House issues a pretended ‘deadline’ for Saddam Hussein to leave power in Iraq. Saddam actually does make plans to exit and begins his attempts to escape, but of course the deadline is bogus. With U.S. and world opinion sufficiently trammeled, there is no chance that the Bush administration will voluntarily refrain from invading.
March 17-18, 2003:

March 17, 2003 – Bush, addressing the nation on primetime television, says “Saddam Hussein must leave Iraq within 48 hours”:

 
“THE PRESIDENT: My fellow citizens, events in Iraq have now reached the final days of decision. For more than a decade, the United States and other nations have pursued patient and honorable efforts to disarm the Iraqi regime without war.

 . . . Intelligence gathered by this and other governments leaves no doubt that the Iraq regime continues to possess and conceal some of the most lethal weapons ever devised. This regime has already used weapons of mass destruction against Iraq's neighbors and against Iraq's people.      

       The regime has a history of reckless aggression in the Middle East. It has a deep hatred of America and our friends. And it has aided, trained and harbored terrorists, including operatives of al Qaeda.        

       The danger is clear: using chemical, biological or, one day, nuclear weapons, obtained with the help of Iraq, the terrorists could fulfill their stated ambitions and kill thousands or hundreds of thousands of innocent people in our country, or any other.”

March 17, 2003 – Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) writes the White House to ask why forged documents were cited as evidence for going to war.

 
Same day -- The Washington Post runs an article on inside pages, based on the doubts discussed internally by Pincus and Woodward, feebly questioning the theme of Iraq WMD. (“US Lacks Specifics on Banned Arms,” A17)

March 18, 2003 – Bush sends a presidential letter to Congress:

“Dear Mr. Speaker: (Dear Mr. President:)

Consistent with section 3(b) of the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002 (Public Law 107-243), and based on information available to me, including that in the enclosed document, I determine that:

(1) reliance by the United States on further diplomatic and other peaceful means alone will neither (A) adequately protect the national security of the United States against the continuing threat posed by Iraq nor (B) likely lead to enforcement of all relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions regarding Iraq; and

(2) acting pursuant to the Constitution and Public Law 107-243 is consistent with the United States and other countries continuing to take the necessary actions against international terrorists and terrorist organizations, including those nations, organizations, or persons who planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001.”

 
As ever, Bush does as much as he can to box Congress into a position from which it cannot later challenge his war policy—but he still does not ask Congress for a formal Declaration of War.

March 18, 2003 -- A Wall Street Journal editorial endorses war on Iraq: “There is plenty of evidence that Iraq has harbored Al Qaeda members.”

 
No, there isn’t.

 
Same day – A Washington Post headline reads, “President Tells Hussein to Leave Iraq Within 48 Hours or Face Invasion.” As FAIR (Fairness and Accuracy in Media) points out the next day (“Will the War Begin With a Big Lie?”), at the bottom of page A16 the New York Times reveals that the Bush's deadline is meaningless: “Even if Saddam Hussein leaves Iraq within 48 hours, as President Bush demanded . . . allied forces plan to move north into Iraqi territory, American officials said today.”