Firstly as pres I have to make clear where my loyalties lie (pun) and who I owe what to, and what my real priorities are (I can't help answering this with some degree of dense black humour) ...

PART A.
a) I don't want to be impeached or be seen as having messed up the job
b) I want to be re-elected in 2004
c) I need to remember who I 'owe to' as the US pres (seriously, the US people come 2nd)
d) I want to leave office with enough wealth to see me & mine thru for a hell of a long time


As for the mess I'm in & what to do about it at this time

PART B.
1) Find a way to kick Cheney in the head for setting me up as his group's patsy
2) Set Powell up as the patsy for what ever International messes get created
3) Try to position Rummy to be the fall guy for any domestic & Iraq mess (easy)
4) Tell Rummy I *must have* a 'just cause' to invade Iraq before mid-March
5) Go into Iraq no matter what the UN/Europe says as to not do so now will be too harmful for part A above (esp part c)
6) Keep the intense pressure up on the press in the US re my 'goals'
7) Tough the situation out in the belief Iraq will be over quick & every one relieved
8) Do a grandstanding speech on the new world order & my vision in creating it (a performance needed to save my presidency & possibly life)

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Jeeze this is just too damned difficult to call. Am convinced that for me as pres, any backdown will be worse than toughing it out. It is too late to sell the invasion as a great deed.

Doug Marker