The Gulf: Call To Arms

Bush issues his sternest warning yet to Saddam, and despite Tehran's call for a holy war against the U.S., the coalition against Iraq grows stronger

Sometimes a politician's rhetoric seems so transparent, so empty of genuine feeling, that a listener's attention wanders and the speaker ends up trivializing the cause he espouses. In his day George Bush has certainly driven his fair share of citizens to distraction. No one, not even the President's most loyal supporters, would confuse a Bush speech and its delivery with a performance by Churchill.

Last week, however, George Bush gave a speech -- no, make that an oration -- that riveted listeners and left absolutely no doubt he meant every word he uttered. Speaking softly and with a menacing lack of...

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