President George W. Bush has only been in power one week, but it hasn't stopped the new administration from preparing a military return to Iraq. It began, in fact, before January 20th when the President-elect began face to face briefings from the CIA. The topic of choice? Iraq of course.
Next was an all-star visit to Superbowl XXXV - ten years after the conflict - by some of the heroes of Desert Storm, including General Norman Schwartzkopf. Changing the tradition of a jet squadron flyover, the crowd was instead treated to a lone stealth fighter, first used in the popular war. Was it designed to begin stirring patriotic feelings in the public to the idea of further conflict?
Although nothing officially has been suggested, it would come as no surprise to many. Critics of the 43rd President speculate that he is only taking care of what his father could not do, namely the removal of Saddam Hussein. Sources close to the President say that is nonsense.
"If you listened to the President during the debates, you'll remember his promise in only the judicious use of our military might," said a White House insider who wished to remain anonymous. "Certainly he isn't going to risk the lives of Americans just to make him and his father look better. No, this is about something far more important: technology."
Technology in this case is spelled PS2, an acronym for the Playstation 2, the latest game console from Sony that is nearly impossible to come by. Iraq, however, has been buying the systems enmasse. So is it the fear that Saddam Hussein is using the parts within the consoles to assemble computers for military use?
"Nah, he's just pissed because he couldn't get one for Christmas," said another anonymous source. "The guy loves videogames. As Governor of Texas he used to take two hours off every day to either nap or play games like Metal Gear Solid or Command and Conquor. Now he has plans for an entertainment center to be installed in the Oval Office and wants to upgrade his system."