Read Online The Burden of Power: Countdown to Iraq - The Alastair Campbell Diaries by Campbell Alastair - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Campbell Alastair
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the lines, I sensed Bush was with the doves but he enjoyed teasing Powell. I think the mood might have been different if Cheney and Rumsfeld had been there.
TB talked about the need to be sure of his ground, that we needed public opinion with us the whole time. Bush said yes, but when I am speaking tough I’m speaking to Middle America, most of whom have never heard of Bin Laden, they just know someone attacked their country and killed their fellow citizens, and they say hey, Mister President, go get someone and why ain’t you done it the day before yesterday? He was in some ways much more impressive than the image, and very straightforward and self-deprecating, which is always a good trait in a leader, but the cumulative effect of the jokes, the asides and the trivial points left you feeling a bit uneasy by the end. It was the cowboy bit. He did, however, as he had over Putin when we first met, show signs of adaptability and intelligence. When TB said he had spoken to [Mohammed] Khatami [President of Iran] on the plane, Bush laughed out loud, assumed it was a joke. But whenTB said he was sending Jack S to Iran on Monday, Bush suddenly got serious, discussed Iran in some detail and then set out the kind of message he would like Jack to deliver. TB was making a point of praising Powell. He was going to be key in keeping strategy on the right track. It was still hard to work out who was calling the shots.
Bush was also graphic on the sophistication of the attacks and the technical ability of the pilot who hit the Pentagon. He seemed to have a certain admiration for the fanatic. Said the timing and the execution were sophisticated, brilliant. He said there are Muslims so dedicated they are prepared to drink to pretend to people around them they are not Muslims. They did a brief doorstep, TB fielding most of the questions and then he and GWB went up to the Bush flat before heading out to Congress. Bush and TB travelled together in the presidential limo. Jonathan, DM, Meyer and I were taken up to the First Lady’s box, with the press gallery to our right, the Congress down below. TB came in with Laura, [Rudolph] Giuliani [mayor of New York], [George] Pataki [governor of New York] and the guy who was going to be the new homeland security minister [governor of Pennsylvania, Tom Ridge]. It was all a bit Politburo, standing ovations constantly interrupting the speech, rapturous applause for good lines, off the radar if they were really good. Because TB was next to Laura, he had to get up every single time that she did, which was every time anybody else did. Anji was watching me from the other side of the gallery and said I looked like I had swallowed a lemon. It was grim. Poodle-ology gone mad. But it was an excellent speech for all that, very well crafted. The story was ultimatum and telling the US troops to be ready. We met up with Bush afterwards, and he gave TB an enormous bear hug. This was getting worse. He was very warm to me as well but I couldn’t wait to get out. Things hadn’t been made easier by a couple of dreadful conversations with Fiona who said she could see Kosovo coming all over again, and I’d never be there. TB was drained by the whole thing. He kipped a bit on the drive out to the plane. We had a bit of debrief and TB said I had to seize the opportunity to co-ordinate strategy. It was now 4am UK time and everyone was shagged out. I slept most of the way back.
Friday, September 21
TB liked the note I had given to Karen Hughes and wanted me to get going on it. C wanted a copy, saying there was all manner of stuff they could do with us. We landed in Brussels and drove to [UK ambassador to the EU Sir Nigel] Sheinwald’s residence. Stryker McGuire called from
Newsweek
and said there was a buzz going roundthat someone had overheard one of our people saying it was all a bit of a disaster, Bush was really alarming and planning to do far more than we wanted. I just about persuaded him it wouldn’t have been any
TB talked about the need to be sure of his ground, that we needed public opinion with us the whole time. Bush said yes, but when I am speaking tough I’m speaking to Middle America, most of whom have never heard of Bin Laden, they just know someone attacked their country and killed their fellow citizens, and they say hey, Mister President, go get someone and why ain’t you done it the day before yesterday? He was in some ways much more impressive than the image, and very straightforward and self-deprecating, which is always a good trait in a leader, but the cumulative effect of the jokes, the asides and the trivial points left you feeling a bit uneasy by the end. It was the cowboy bit. He did, however, as he had over Putin when we first met, show signs of adaptability and intelligence. When TB said he had spoken to [Mohammed] Khatami [President of Iran] on the plane, Bush laughed out loud, assumed it was a joke. But whenTB said he was sending Jack S to Iran on Monday, Bush suddenly got serious, discussed Iran in some detail and then set out the kind of message he would like Jack to deliver. TB was making a point of praising Powell. He was going to be key in keeping strategy on the right track. It was still hard to work out who was calling the shots.
Bush was also graphic on the sophistication of the attacks and the technical ability of the pilot who hit the Pentagon. He seemed to have a certain admiration for the fanatic. Said the timing and the execution were sophisticated, brilliant. He said there are Muslims so dedicated they are prepared to drink to pretend to people around them they are not Muslims. They did a brief doorstep, TB fielding most of the questions and then he and GWB went up to the Bush flat before heading out to Congress. Bush and TB travelled together in the presidential limo. Jonathan, DM, Meyer and I were taken up to the First Lady’s box, with the press gallery to our right, the Congress down below. TB came in with Laura, [Rudolph] Giuliani [mayor of New York], [George] Pataki [governor of New York] and the guy who was going to be the new homeland security minister [governor of Pennsylvania, Tom Ridge]. It was all a bit Politburo, standing ovations constantly interrupting the speech, rapturous applause for good lines, off the radar if they were really good. Because TB was next to Laura, he had to get up every single time that she did, which was every time anybody else did. Anji was watching me from the other side of the gallery and said I looked like I had swallowed a lemon. It was grim. Poodle-ology gone mad. But it was an excellent speech for all that, very well crafted. The story was ultimatum and telling the US troops to be ready. We met up with Bush afterwards, and he gave TB an enormous bear hug. This was getting worse. He was very warm to me as well but I couldn’t wait to get out. Things hadn’t been made easier by a couple of dreadful conversations with Fiona who said she could see Kosovo coming all over again, and I’d never be there. TB was drained by the whole thing. He kipped a bit on the drive out to the plane. We had a bit of debrief and TB said I had to seize the opportunity to co-ordinate strategy. It was now 4am UK time and everyone was shagged out. I slept most of the way back.
Friday, September 21
TB liked the note I had given to Karen Hughes and wanted me to get going on it. C wanted a copy, saying there was all manner of stuff they could do with us. We landed in Brussels and drove to [UK ambassador to the EU Sir Nigel] Sheinwald’s residence. Stryker McGuire called from
Newsweek
and said there was a buzz going roundthat someone had overheard one of our people saying it was all a bit of a disaster, Bush was really alarming and planning to do far more than we wanted. I just about persuaded him it wouldn’t have been any
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