Why Bush Had To Act

With his war on terrorism at stake, the President intervenes in the Middle East. But even his advisers don't agree on a strategy

The war on terror had been going so well for George W. Bush that he threw a little party last week, inviting 179 of America's closest allies to the White House for a sun-soaked pageant of remembrance and resolve. On the six-month anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, Bush thanked the "mighty coalition of civilized nations" for joining the war's first phase in Afghanistan and rallied them for the next one. "We're winning," he said.

Self-congratulation has rarely had a shorter half-life. Within hours, Bush's plans to go global with the war on terror were crowded out by new images...

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