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Article: U.S. Shifts Rhetoric On Its Goals in Iraq; New Emphasis: Middle East Stability
- Article from:
- The Washington Post
- Article date:
- August 1, 2003
- Author:
CopyrightThis material is published under license from the Washington Post. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Washington Post. (Hide copyright information)
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As the search for illegal weapons in Iraq continues without
success, the Bush administration has moved to emphasize a different
rationale for the war against Saddam Hussein: using Iraq as the
"linchpin" to transform the Middle East and thereby reduce the
terrorist threat to the United States.
President Bush, who has mostly stopped talking about Iraq's
weapons, said at a news conference Wednesday that "the rise of a free
and peaceful Iraq is critical to the stability of the Middle East,
and a stable Middle East is critical to the security of the American
people."
Deputy Defense Secretary Paul D. Wolfowitz said on NBC's "Meet the
Press" Sunday that "the battle to secure the peace in Iraq is ...