Strain of Iraq war showing on Bush, those who know him say

WASHINGTON — The public face of President Bush at war is composed and controlled. On TV and in newspaper photos, he is sturdy and assured, usually surrounded by military personnel. But those choreographed glimpses of Bush's commander-in-chief persona don't tell the whole story. Behind the scenes, aides and friends say, the president's role is more complicated and his style more emotional.

People who know Bush well say the strain of war is palpable. He rarely jokes with staffers these days and occasionally startles them with sarcastic putdowns. He's being hard on himself; he gave up sweets just before the war began. He's frustrated when armchair generals or members of his own team express doubts about U.S. military strategy. At the same time, some of his usual supporters are concerned by his insistence on sticking with the original war plan.

Interviews with a dozen friends, advisers and top aides describe a man who feels he is being tested. As might be expected from loyal aides, they portray the president as steady, tough and up to the task, someone whose usual cheer has shifted to a more serious demeanor. Their observations yield a rare inside look at how the president functions in a crisis.

Friends say the conflict is consuming Bush's days and weighing heavily on him. "He's got that steely-eyed look, but he is burdened," says a friend who has spent time with the president since the war began. "You can see it in his eyes and hear it in his voice. I worry about him."

Kay Tells W No WMDs

"We missed it because the Iraqis actually behaved like they had weapons," Kay said. "And we weren't smart enough to understand that the hardest thing in intelligence is when behavior remains consistent but underlying reasons change."

"Saddam didn't have WMD but wanted it to appear as if he did. His purpose was deception. Kay said he thought that Saddam had decided to get rid of his WMD on the theory that they were too easy to find."

"We were almost all wrong, and I certainly include myself," Kay testified. ("State of Denial," Woodward, page 278)

"Bush wanted to know why Kay thought Saddam hadn't just come clean on WMD long ago. Why had he risked his whole life, his government, insted of just throwing the doors open?

Kay said he thought Sadam never believed the U. S. would actually invade. But more important, more than he feared the U.S., he feared the Shiites and the Kurds who lived in Iraq. He knew that they in turn feared him because they thought he had WMD."

"You know, as you have to recognize, totalitarian regimes generally end up fearing their own people more than they fear external threats. It's just the history of totalitarian regimes," Kay said. "We missed that." ("State of Denial," Woodward, page 279)

David Kay and Cheney’s “Caves”

...The Vice-President's aides sent a message to Kay and the ISG [Iraq Study Group]: check out this overhead photograph. It showed what looked like the opening of a tunnel on the side of a hill in Iraq. This could be where the WMDs were hidden, Cheney's office said -- in caves.

When Kay and several of his analysts took a look at the photo, they burst out laughing. They knew exactly what was in the picture. It was a common practice for local farmers to use bulldozers to dig trenches into the sides of hills. Because the water table was fairly high, these trenches would fill with water and become sources for drinking water for cows. The Vice President's staff hadn't discovered the elusive WMDs; it had found a bovine watering hole." ("Hubris," Isikoff and Corn, page 304)

The screenwriter gave Bush the line -- "Vice, you grew up in Wyoming. You should damn well know cattle!" -- for dramatic (and sarcastic) purposes.

Bush knew that although Cheney was born in Lincoln, Nebraska, he had grown up in Casper, Wyoming.

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Cheney)

Old Saying - On “Getting Fooled”

This a variation of a famous "Bushism" -- "There's an old saying in Tennessee - I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee - that says, fool me once, shame on - shame on you. Fool me - you can't get fooled again."

--George W. Bush, Nashville, Tennessee, September 17, 2002