September 5, 2002	Thursday	Jamadi-us-Saani26,1423

WASHINGTON: President George Bush returned to the White House on Sunday after a month of Republican fund-raising and relaxation at his Texas ranch, faced with the task of imposing leadership and coherence on an administration deeply divided on Iraq.

Superficial unity on the need for “regime change” exists, but serious differences, aired by the vice-president, Dick Cheney, and the secretary of state, Colin Powell, have become apparent on how the US should go about the task and what role the nation’s allies and the UN should play.

In making his decision, he faces the most important national security challenge since the Cold War. He also must consider the need to get re-elected in 2004, and avoid repeating the ignominy of his father’s one-term presidency. At the moment, those two imperatives seem to be pushing him in opposite directions, contributing to the confusing signals emanating from the Bush administration.

Since his”axis of evil” speech in January, and with every passing month, Bush has aligned himself more and more with the hawks’ view of the Iraqi threat.

On the other hand, the opinion polls published made it clear that the American public is extremely wary of a military operation that lacked the support of Congress, the UN and US allies in Europe and the Arab world.

The White House has repeatedly hinted that the intelligence at its disposal will put to rest the doubts expressed by a long line of foreign policy luminaries from the president’s own party, which have clearly added to the public qualms.

Deep in the DNA of every administration is the urge to reproduce itself — to win a second term — and for that reason Bush’s political strategist, Karl Rove, may ultimately have the last say instead of the war party led by Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld.

Rove cannot ignore the big decline in national enthusiasm for pursuing a phase two of the “war on terror” in Iraq, a mood reflected in the Time/CNN poll which showed backing for the use of ground troops against Saddam Hussein as dropping from 73 per cent in December to 51 per cent now.

The role of the secretary of state is crucial here. The Time poll found that he was by the far the most popular figure in the administration. He was supported by 78 per cent of those asked, compared with an approval rating of 69 per cent for Bush, 51 per cent for Rumsfeld and 49 per cent for Cheney.

The continuing rumours of his plans to leave the Bush camp at the end of the first term, or even before, must pose a serious concern for the White House.—Dawn/The Guardian News Service.