MADISON, Aug 7: US President George W. Bush on Wednesday vowed to be patient in making any decision on Iraq, and Vice President Dick Cheney said a return of UN weapons inspectors may not address concerns over Baghdad’s alleged drive for weapons of mass destruction.

Bush and Cheney made clear there was no decision to go to war to oust Iraqi President Saddam Hussein while insisting that his government remained a real threat. Bush, on a day trip to Mississippi, reassured the U.S. Congress and America’s allies that he would consult them on how to deal with Iraq.

“These are real threats and we owe it to our children to deal with these threats,” Bush said in a speech at Madison Central High School. “I promise you that I will be patient, and deliberate, that we will continue to consult with Congress, and of course we’ll consult with our friends and allies. We’ll discuss these threats in real terms.

“And I will explore all options and all tools at my disposal: diplomacy, international pressure, perhaps the military. But it’s important for my fellow citizens to know that as we see threats evolving we will deal with them. We must deal with them,” he said.

Bush later drove home the point at a Republican fund-raiser. “We can’t let the world’s worst leaders blackmail and threaten the United States with the world’s worst weapons.”—Reuters