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War on terror goes beyond Osama: Bush

By Sridhar Krishnaswami

Washington JULY 9. The United States President, George W. Bush, has said that he did not know if Osama bin Laden is alive or dead but stressed that the war on terrorism is bigger than one person. "We haven't heard from him in a long time. I don't know if the man's living or the man's dead. But one thing is for certain: the war on terror is a lot bigger than one person'', he remarked at a news conference at the White House.

Mr. Bush, who said in the aftermath of the terror attacks on the U.S. on Sept. 11 that he wanted Osama bin Laden "dead or alive'' was asked if this was still the goal. "I don't know if he is dead or alive. So, I am going to answer your question with a hypothetical. Osama bin Laden, he may be alive. If he is, we'll get him. If he is not alive, we got him'', Mr. Bush responded to laughter.

At the news conference dominated by the ongoing scandals in corporate America and his own sale of stock in the Harken Energy Corporation in the 1990s, Mr. Bush was asked if it was his intention to get rid of the Iraqi leader, Saddam Hussein. "Yes'', he replied. "It is the stated policy of this Government to have a regime change. And it hasn't changed. And we'll use all the tools at our disposal to do so'', Mr. Bush said, going on to make the point that he is very much involved in the process.

"I'm involved in the military planning, diplomatic planning, financial planning, all aspects... reviewing all the tools at my disposal'', Mr. Bush said. But he would not answer a query whether this objective could be met in the first term of office on the grounds that this was a "hypothetical question''.

In his opening remarks, Mr. Bush complained that Congress — especially the Democratic controlled Senate — is far behind on the anti-terrorism initiatives of the administration, including funding for airport security and the military campaign.

"More than 100 days ago, I asked Congress to appropriate additional money to equip our armed forces and to strengthen the security at our airports. Four months later, the Department of Defence and the new Transportation Security Administration are still waiting for the money'', the President said. "Congress simply must fund our troops while they're fighting a war. And Congress must provide the funds to improve security at our airports. Further delay is intolerable. Congress has got to act'', Mr. Bush said. On Tuesday, the President travels to Wall Street, vowing to crack down on corrupt business practices that have engulfed corporate America in the last several months. "I'm an avid backer of the free enterprise system. But I also understand that that requires trust. And we've had some destroy the trust of the American people, and we need to do something about it'', Mr. Bush said.

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