In My Time - Dick Cheney [196]
This task was complicated, the IOG director said, by our “bifurcated strategy”—working through the United Nations for sanctions and inspections while simultaneously pursuing regime change. His point was well taken, but the dual-track policy was intentional. The best way to get Saddam to come into compliance with UN demands was to convince him we would use force if he didn’t comply. I understood that international meetings, resolutions, and negotiations might convey uncertainty about our willingness to use military force, but for now there was no alternative.
THAT SPRING THE PRESIDENT asked me to travel to the Middle East.
With President Bush in the Oval Office in March 2002. We had already toppled the Taliban and the President had asked me to travel to the UK and the Middle East to consult with our allies in the War on Terror. (Official White House Photo/David Bohrer)
I was scheduled to visit twelve countries in ten days for discussions on a range of issues, including not only our operations in Afghanistan but also our ongoing efforts in the worldwide War on Terror. I planned to discuss the next phases in the War on Terror, which meant talking about the threat posed by Saddam Hussein. I knew that at each stop I would also be discussing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which had been marked by terrible violence in the last year and a half.
This was my first trip overseas as vice president, and I was aware my office carried with it certain demands of ceremony and protocol, but I asked that these be kept to a minimum. I had previously traveled to all of the countries on my schedule, with the exception of Yemen. I’d known most of their leaders for more than a decade, and I knew my time would be best spent in frank and direct conversations with them.
I began my trip with a stop in London to visit one of America’s closest and best allies in the War on Terror, British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
My first stop was London where I met with Prime Minister Tony Blair, one of America’s most steadfast allies, at 10 Downing Street. (Official White House Photo/David Bohrer)
I have tremendous respect for Prime Minister Blair. He is a Labour Party liberal and I am a conservative Republican, and we didn’t always agree on strategy or tactics. But America had no greater ally during our time in office. His speeches about the war were some of the most eloquent I’ve been privileged to hear. I particularly recall sitting in the vice president’s chair behind the podium in the chamber of the House of Representatives in July 2003 as the prime minister addressed a joint session of Congress. He knew that critics in America were asking why we had to take the lead in liberating Iraq and confronting terror, and he gave the answer: “Because destiny put you in this place in history, this moment in time, and the task is yours to do.” But America wouldn’t be alone, he pledged. “We will be with you in this fight for liberty.”
As we met in March 2002 at Number 10 Downing Street, the prime minister and I discussed our ongoing efforts in Afghanistan, including plans to rebuild the Afghan National Army, expand the NATO mission, and get the international community more engaged in helping to rebuild that troubled country. I told Blair that the president had not decided yet about military action against Saddam Hussein and that we wanted to consult widely with our allies as the process unfolded. I also told the prime minister, as I did other leaders on this trip, that if war came, there should be no doubt about the outcome. The president wanted it to be absolutely clear that if he decided to go to war, we would finish the job. We would remove Saddam Hussein, eliminate the threat he posed, and establish a representative government.
We also discussed the upcoming meeting of the Arab League in Beirut, where the topic would be the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Israelis were threatening to bar Yasser Arafat from leaving his Ramallah compound to travel to the summit. I told the prime minister that we were encouraging the Israelis to allow