Interesting news conference. Sorry, the rumors weren't true. Bin Laden still at large (or still smooshed on a cave wall).


President Bush made a sincere, serious and thoughtful presentation. He did everything he could not to projext a cowboy image and he didn't. He did just what he should have - came off thoughtful and direct. The logic is clear. I'm the President, I took an oath, and while working with the UN is important and desirable, my main responsibility is to the American People, and if I believe the UN is wrong, then that's that. He will ask the nations of the world whether any of them can stand up and with a straight face say that Saddam has complied with 1441. He already knows the answer, as does everyone else. No more half-way-sorta answers, and he WILL bring it to a vote, even if he knows we'll lose the vote or have it vetoed.


Bravo Mr. President, another good speech. I'm just sorry that things have gone on so long and become so politicised that no one who wasn't already will be convinced.


Update: Instapundit has a bunch of good feedback, including this terrific email from a reader in Zurich:

I've just seen Bush's performance on TV. Whoever expected something in the Churchillian vein must have been disappointed. And I'd say that was quite intelligent. Why? Because the Churchillian style works well once you're already in the midst of total war. Otherwise it may sound demagogic and, for those who disagree, as pure warmongering. What seemed to be Bush's goal was not only to disarm his national and foreign critics but to show the non-bellicist face of a country that only goes into war reluctantly


The point is: day by day the so called pacifists look more agressive, more filled with hate. Indeed, it is as if they were those who were at war: against America. Bush has chosen exactly not to answer them in kind, stressing the protesters' right to protest, the allies' right to disagree and, of course, his own right to think differently. He didn't threaten France, Germany, Russia and so on: and that is very good. Many questions were about those countries' attitudes and he managed not to answer them without ever giving the impression he was running away from an argument: on the contrary, he spoke as a grown-up underlining that we shouldn't be too tough on the kids because, well, they're nothing but kids.


I don't know if this will work in Europe, although it won't be easy to use his performance to portray the president as a bloodthirsty imperialistic murderer. But I think that it reassures the domestic audience that the decision to go to war is being taken in a serious, sober, dispassionate way.