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Doubts and Debate Before Victory Over Taliban
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Rice intentionally ducked. She was unwilling to take a firm position, worried it might tilt further discussion, close off options. Also, she was unsure. She felt most comfortable when she knew precisely what the president was thinking, so she was sounding him out. But the president was on his chosen course, and he had not really thought of shifting strategies.
The really important thing, she told the president, was for him to take the principals' pulse the next day, and if he was committed to the strategy, he had better let people know it. He didn't want people starting to fall off.
Starting to fall off? Who was nervous? Who was concerned? The president wanted to take names.
Everybody is concerned, she said. Nobody is very sanguine or comfortable. They all have concerns about what they are achieving and might be able to achieve. He had heard some; she had heard more. He was going to have to make some tough decisions pretty soon -- about whether they were just going to stay on course or whether they were going to try to make adjustments.
The National Security Council was going to meet the next morning, she mentioned, and that was the time to affirm the plan or consider changing it. Winter was coming to Afghanistan, the conditions would be brutal and military gains on the ground could become increasingly difficult.
"I think it would be good if you expressed confidence in this plan. Or if you don't feel that, then we need to do something else." Did they need an alternative strategy? The important thing, she said, was for him to think about it before the NSC meeting the next morning. Then, at the meeting, he could give his view. "You need to talk about this," she said at the end of their 15- to 20-minute talk.
"I'll take care of it," the president said.
'We Need to Be Patient'
The next morning, before the NSC meeting, Bush talked to Cheney about what Rice had brought to him.
"Dick," he asked, "do you have any -- is there any qualms in your mind about this strategy we've developed? We've spent a lot of time on it."
"No, Mr. President," Cheney replied.
When the meeting began in the White House Situation Room, Bush decided to let the meeting proceed with its routine presentations and updates before getting to the point.
"I just want to make sure that all of us did agree on this plan, right?" he said after the reports. He looked around the table from face to face.
