Bruce recommends:
> http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-
> bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2005/10/07/MNGNVF3SFM1.DTL

Here's what the Washington Post said back in June 2003 about this:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A37944-2003Jun26?language=printer

Road Map in the Back Seat?

By Al Kamen
Friday, June 27, 2003; Page A27

Imagine our surprise Wednesday to read in the Israeli paper Haaretz
(online), that Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Abu Mazen, meeting
recently with militants to enlist their support for a truce with Israel,
said that, when they met in Aqaba, President Bush had told him this: " God
told me to strike at al Qaeda and I struck them, and then he instructed me
to strike at Saddam [ Hussein], which I did, and now I am determined to
solve the problem in the Middle East. If you help me I will act, and if not,
the elections will come and I will have to focus on them."

So who needs to find WMD or a link with al Qaeda when the orders come from
The Highest Authority?

Two calls to the White House for clarification went unreturned, but
colleague Glenn Kessler did some digging. The Haaretz reporter, Arnon
Regular, read what the paper said were minutes of the Palestinians' meeting
to Kessler and another colleague, who is an Arabic speaker.

The Arabic-speaking colleague's translation, was this: "God inspired me to
hit al Qaeda, and so I hit it. And I had the inspiration to hit Saddam, and
so I hit him. Now I am determined to solve the Middle East problem if you
help. Otherwise the elections will come and I will be wrapped up with them."

Even then, there's uncertainty. After all, this is Abu Mazen's account in
Arabic of what Bush said in English, written down by a note-taker in Arabic,
then back into English.

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