Bush Promises Postwar Aid if Hussein Toppled

President Bush said Saturday that if the United States goes to war against Iraq, Washington would work with other countries after combat ends to rebuild the country and form “a just government” there.

His declaration, never stated so directly in the past, goes to the heart of some of the gravest concerns he is facing in the United States and in the U.N. Security Council about what Washington would do to avoid chaos, and a new dictatorship, if it ousts Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.

At the same time, he has kept up steady pressure to win approval for the use of force against Iraq, even as he said that he would direct U.S. forces to attack Iraq and rid it of weapons of mass destruction only if it is “essential to security and justice.”

“Delay, indecision and inaction are not options for America, because they could lead to massive and sudden horror,” the president said.

In three speeches Saturday delving into the tensions over how to confront the weapons of mass destruction the U.S. believes Iraq has, the president kept his focus on a message intended to win as great a margin as possible for a congressional resolution authorizing use of force. He also sought to overcome the strong reluctance of France and Russia, two Security Council members with veto power, to a resolution before the council giving Bush the go-ahead for military action if Iraq does not quickly disarm.

“We owe it to a peaceful world to deal with the threats we see,” the president said. “We cannot ignore history. We must not ignore reality. We must do everything we can to disarm this man before he hurts one single American.”

Separately, at a political luncheon, he added forcefully: “If Saddam Hussein makes the choice not to disarm, the United States and a lot of our friends will disarm him. For the sake of peace, for the sake of freedom, for the sake of our future and our children’s future, we will disarm him.”

In his weekly radio address, the president said that in the event of war, “the United States will work with other nations to help the Iraqi people rebuild and form a just government.”

“We have no quarrel with the Iraqi people,” he said. “They are the daily victims of Saddam Hussein’s oppression, and they will be the first to benefit when the world’s demands are met.”

The president is in the midst of an intensifying campaign to overcome objections in Congress to the resolution that the House is likely to vote on early this week, and the Senate sometime later. Both chambers are considered almost certain to approve the measure.

On Monday evening in Cincinnati, Bush is scheduled to deliver what the White House hopes will be a major speech putting forward his strongest argument for holding out the threat of certain force against Hussein if he does not comply fully with disarmament demands. The president’s remarks at a rally, the Republican fund-raising speech in New Hampshire on Saturday and his radio address amounted to a preview of that prime-time message, which already has undergone several drafts and will be delivered on the anniversary of U.S. military action in Afghanistan.

During a rally that included camouflage-clad soldiers and firefighters in dress blues at Manchester’s National Guard Armory--a site of political events during the state’s storied presidential primaries--Bush said Hussein was “a man who hates America and yet still possesses weapons of mass destruction.”

And, Bush said, “had this man not been checked in the 1990s, he would have had possession of a nuclear weapon.” Various experts disagree how quickly Hussein could gain possession of a nuclear weapon, with some saying the period could be as short as a year.

“This is a man who would be a tremendous threat to world peace and security if he ever were to have and possess a weapon of mass destruction as devastating as a nuclear weapon,” he added.

The president also renewed an argument he has been making with increasing frequency lately that seeks to link Hussein to the risk of terrorist actions like the Sept. 11 attacks.

“We’re dealing with these treacherous terrorist organizations who have designs and desires to hook up with nations such as Iraq that develop weapons of mass destruction,” Bush said at the rally, adding: “See, old Saddam might not have to show up, but he might get a surrogate who can do it for him.”

Presenting the case against Hussein as one that bridges partisan divides, Bush said, “A lot of folks--Republicans, Democrats, people who could care less about political parties--now are beginning to understand the true threat.”

And in the radio speech, he urged Americans “to call their members of Congress to make sure your voice is heard.” Seeking to ease the political tensions the debate has brought out, he praised the “tremendous work” of House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.), House Minority Leader Richard A. Gephardt (D-Mo.) and Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott (R-Miss.) in assembling bipartisan support for the congressional resolution.

“By supporting the resolution now before them,” Bush said, “members of Congress will send a clear message to Saddam: His only choice is to fully comply with the demands of the world. And the time for that choice is limited.”

The luncheon, supporting Rep. John E. Sununu, the Republican running for the Senate against Gov. Jeanne Shaheen, collected $250,000 for Sununu and $250,000 for the state Republican Party.

The president used the event to make a pitch for party unity, saluting the work of Sen. Bob Smith, the New Hampshire Republican defeated by Sununu in a bitter party primary last month.