í baksýnisspegli

Þegar maður les þetta samtal George Bush og Jose Maria Aznar þá veltir maður því fyrir sér hversu mikið var að marka það þegar Halldór og Davíð sögðust ekki hafa verið beittir þrýstingi til þess að lýsa yfir stuðningi við innrás USA í Írak. Samræðurnar voru birtar fyrir skemmstu í spænsku dagblaði en þær áttu sér stað í aðdraganda stríðsins.

Prime Minister Aznar—who, it is worth noting, favored going to war—keeps urging Bush to wait a little longer before invading, in order to assemble a broader coalition. "I agree," he says after Bush tells him it's time to put a stop to Saddam's dithering, "but it would be good to be able to count on as many people as possible. Be a little bit patient."

"My patience is over," Bush replies. "I don't even think about [waiting] beyond mid-March." The other members of the U.N. Security Council, he says, "have to know" that friendship with the United States is at stake. If Chile doesn't go along with a war resolution, the Free Trade Agreement is in trouble. If Angola falters, its leaders should forget about receiving funds from the Millennium Account. Vladimir Putin should know "that his attitude is jeopardizing" U.S.-Russian relations.

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