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109 • Issue 113 • 8 pages Texas A&M University www.thebatt.com Tuesday, March 18, 2003
War countdown begins
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PHOTOS: KRT CAMPUS
(Top) Iraqis look over small pollution masks at a market in Baghdad, Iraq, Monday. They
are stocking up on supplies such as candles and water to prepare for war. (Bottom) A night
view of the Baghdad skyline.
Bush: Saddam has 48 hours to leave Iraq
By Ron Fournier
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON
President George W. Bush said
Monday the United States will
unleash war against Iraq unless
Saddam Hussein flees his
country within 48 hours. The
president warned Americans
that terrorists may strike in
retaliation and put the nation
on higher alert.
“The tyrant will soon be
gone,” vowed Bush, command
er in chief of 250,000 U.S.
troops poised to attack.
Bush set a course for war
without U.N. backing after
months of futilely trying to
persuade Saddam to disarm. In
an address televised world
wide, he spoke to several audi
ences at once, starting with the
American public and skeptical
allies and including Saddam,
Iraq’s military and its citizens
“The day of your liberation
is near,” Bush told Iraqis.
The speech did not silence
opposition from home and
abroad to Bush’s tough-on-
Saddam policies. Senate
Democratic leader Tom
Daschle said Bush had failed
“miserably” at diplomacy,
forcing the United States to go
to war with Iraq.
From the ornate cross halls
of the White House, Bush said
for the first time that Saddam
could not retain power even by
beginning to disarm his nation
of weapons of mass destruction
— long the stated goal of U.S.
policy in Iraq. The only way
war can be avoided now is
Saddam’s exile, Bush said.
BUSH
“All the decades of deceit
and cruelty have now reached
an end,” the president said.
“Saddam Hussein and his sons
must leave Iraq within 48 hours.
Their refusal to do so will result
in military conflict commenced
at a time of our choosing.”
The 48-hour clock started at
8 p.m. EST Monday, White
House spokesman Adam
Levine said.
At home, Bush raised the
terror alert status from yellow
to “high risk” orange, the sec
ond-highest level.
“War has no certainty
except the certainty of sacri
fice,” Bush said.
An intense White House
debate over whether to estab
lish a timetable was settled
hours before the president’s
speech. Some argued that Bush
should not set a deadline
because Saddam could use the
notice to build opposition to
the president’s case or even
launch a pre-emptive strike.
Bush told journalists and
weapons inspectors to leave
Iraq immediately.
He issued his ultimatum
after U.N. allies refused to
back his bid for a resolution
sanctioning military force. The
diplomatic defeat led Bush to
move toward war accompanied
by Britain, Spain, Australia
and a handful of other nations
in his self-described “coalition
of the willing.”
He lashed out at France and
other wary allies at the U.N.
“These governments share our
See War on page 4
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America’s terror alert raised to orange status
By Curt Anderson
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON
Worried that war in Iraq could
lead to terrorist reprisals at
home, the Department of
Homeland Security raised the
terror alert Monday to orange,
indicating a high risk of
attacks, and implemented
enhanced security measures
nationwide.
“Operation Liberty Shield”
was announced just as
President Bush completed his
speech giving Saddam Hussein
48 hours to leave Iraq.
The homeland security plan
includes more Border Patrol
officers, stepped-up patrols at
seaports, airports and nuclear
power plants, and increased
safeguards over the nation’s
food supply.
Homeland Security
Secretary Tom Ridge also
called on governors to deploy
National Guard troops or extra
state police to protect bridges
and other key infrastructures.
The terror alert was raised
from yellow, or elevated, to
orange, the second-highest
level on a five-color scale.
Counterterrorism officials
said the decision was based
on threats from al-Qaida,
Iraqi operatives and freelance
terrorists.
“A large volume of report
ing across a range of sources,
some of which are highly reli
able, indicates that al-Qaida
probably would attempt to
launch terrorist attacks against
U.S. interests claiming they
See Alert on page 8
Terror Alert
Raised to Orange
Severe condition
High condition
Elevated condition
Guarded condition
Low condition
SOURCE: The Office of Homeland AP
Security
Panelists speak in support of president
By Lauren Smith
THE BATTALION
Even though former President Bush had
not yet spoken with his son Monday after
noon, he was sure that the president would
have a certain peace of mind — a quiet con
fidence before facing the country in a tele
vised address last night.
“We have been blessed with a very close
family, and my son gets his strength from
family and his faith,” Bush said during
Monday’s leadership forum at the George
Bush Presidential Conference Center.
Alongside the former president, sitting
on a panel discussing attributes of a success
ful leader and answering questions from the
audience, were Diane Sawyer of ABC
News, Tom Selleck, an actor and producer,
Steve Lindsey, a NASA astronaut, and Steve
Wynn, chairman of Wynn Resorts.
“Leadership can be put on a tripod of
competence, integrity, and passion,” Sawyer
said. “I am so honored anyone thinks there
is such a thing as leadership in the press. It
is the journalist’s job to every day be fresh,
curious and faithful to fact.”
After sharing a story from her recent trip
to Kuwait, Iraq and Jordan, Sawyer left the
panel discussion early to return to New
York, but not before leaving the full audito
rium with a final thought:
“America is the only country with a
national anthem that ends with a question,”
Sawyer said. “Democracy is the choices we
make every day.”
Selleck said public figures such as
celebrities are role models whether or not
they like it, so they should choose their
words carefully.
“There is a problem in Hollywood with
framing the war debate,” Selleck said.
“Whether you agree with the president or
not, the president deserves respect, which he
is not getting from that community in
See Panel on page 8
Owner of Las Vegas Wynn Resorts, Steve Wynn (left) listens to
ABC News reporter Diane Sawyer.
SBP candidate platforms stress tradition, communication
Matt Josefy
Ed “El Ramos ,y Brown
By Melissa Sullivan
THE BATTALION
With a campaign theme of
“Your Voice Matters,” Matt
Josefy said that if elected student
body president he will focus on
two-way communication
between student leaders
and the student body.
“Right now students
feel like administration
and student leaders are
using a bullhorn and
shouting right in their
faces telling them the
way things are going to
be,” said Josefy, a senior
accounting major. “I want to
turn that bullhorn around and
tell individuals their voice mat
ters, and they should be using
the bullhorn in my ear.”
Josefy said creating a student
body president link on the A&M
Web site and holding meetings
in the quiet room of Sbisa
Dining Hall are possible ways
of achieving this.
With the future of Bonfire
uncertain, Josefy said, he knows
how much Bonfire was valued,
but no candidate should
try to bring it back.
Instead, he said, he
believes something
needs to be done imme
diately in place of
Bonfire.
“One of the ideas we
have going is called push
week,” Josefy said. “What push
week would be is a week-long
set of events leading up to
Elephant Walk and E-Walk and
leading into the yell practice
before the t.u. game.”
JOSEFY
This is the first of three installments featuring two of the six can
didates for student body president. The profiles are based on candi
date interviews with The Battalion editorial board.
The elements of push week
would be modeled after those of
Bonfire, such as unity, spirit and
camaraderie, Josefy said.
Josefy said he does not sup
port and would not promote an
off-campus bonfire if one were
to occur in the fall.
Last month, students were
given the opportunity to vote on
three fee referendum s. Josefy
said he was in favor of the
Student Recreation Center fee
increase and the computer
upgrades, but said the University
should hold off on increasing the
Student Services Fee.
“I think the student services
See Josefy on page 8
By Rob Phillips
THE BATTALION
For Ed “El Ramos” Brown,
the position of student body pres
ident means valuing the restora
tion of a sense of unity, spirit and
tradition among Aggies, and
some extra legwork.
“I think everyone should be
sick of seeing (the SBP),” said
Brown, a senior economics
major and Appelt Hall secretary.
“He shouldn’t hide in his office.
(The role of SBP) is making stu
dents feel like they’re a part of
A&M, that this is a family, not
just a school you go to.”
Brown said his most impor
tant goal as SBP would be
restoring a family atmosphere
on campus.
“My main priority is really
reaching out to students and
going out and finding a way to
start tying them back together,”
he said.
Brown said he wants
Bonfire to return to cam
pus, but the first step in
bringing it back is remind
ing students how great the
tradition was.
“If we take steps now
and remind these future
classes of what it meant
and have them work on get
ting Bonfire back as much as the
previous classes worked on
building it, then we will have it
back eventually,” he said.
Brown said he applauds
members of the Unity Project
la. ~
off-campus bonfire for attempt
ing to remind others of the
Bonfire tradition.
“It’s not Bonfire, and it’s not
going to replace Bonfire
because Bonfire involved all
Aggies,” he said. “I think it’s
good, though, that we have
Aggies that take initia
tive.”
Brown said he voted
against the three fee
increases proposed in
the February referen
dum.
“I’m not saying I’m
completely opposed to
brown Shaving a fee increase, but
I want to see an examination of
where this money is going,” he
said.
Brown said the motivation
See Brown on page 8