Excerpts from previous political updates, by subject:

9-19-01

September 11 and Iraq

The September 11 attacks on the United States have forever altered the way US officials look at terrorism and the countries that support it. A new sense of urgency can be expected to affect America's position on every issue touching Iraq, including the debate over sanctions, Iraq's disarmament obligations, and the enforcement of the no-fly zones.

The United States officially considers Iraq to be a country that supports international terrorism. According to press reports, US officials such as Paul Wolfowitz, deputy secretary of defense, and I. Lewis Libby, chief of staff to Vice President Richard Cheney, have pushed for an immediate attack on terrorist sites in Iraq. A group of conservatives, including former US officials, have called for removing Saddam Hussein from power whether there is evidence of Iraqi links to the September 11 attacks or not. Others in the administration - notably Secretary of State Colin Powell and Vice President Cheney - have been more cautious. The Vice President said on September 16 that the administration did not yet have evidence linking Saddam Hussein to the attacks. Secretary of State Powell has argued that time is needed to prepare the diplomatic groundwork for military action, which should take place at first only in Afghanistan. Those on Powell's side fear that taking on Iraq now would undermine the support President Bush needs to pursue Osama bin Laden. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is reported to agree with Secretary Powell. So far, Powell appears to be winning; President Bush did not mention Iraq in his address to the nation on September 20.