Shock and Awe Page #3

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because it's off the record, but

can you give me some indication?

LOOSE NUKES:
Bye, Jonathan.

What'd she say?

She sends her love.

ANNOUNCER:

Across the nation...

flags have been flying off

the shelves.

A wave of patriotism has been

spreading across America.

At times like this,

it's what we do in America.

We the People pull together.

They had a discussion in school

today...

about why America is so great,

right?

Yeah, and what'd you say?

It's a free country.

That's a great answer.

That's Mama's boy.

May I be done now?

Not until I get a big hug.

Okay, after your mom gets a hug.

Oh, whoa!

Proud of you, munchie.

Love you.

They're really pushing this

nationalism thing at school.

What do you expect?

Of course, there's

going to be patriotism now.

Oh, you want to call it

patriotism?

Fine.

It smells a lot like

nationalism to me.

That's how it started in

Yugoslavia before the war.

Tore my country apart.

You want some help?

No, I'm okay, thank you.

Okay, have a good night.

Good night.

How real is the Iraqi

conversation?

There's an argument

taking place.

Yeah? Who's winning it?

I couldn't say.

Look, my boss is gonna send me

to Afghanistan, and all I want..

to know is should he be buying

a roundtrip ticket...

or is Afghanistan just a

layover on the way to Baghdad?

I can't tell you anything.

MYLROIE:
I believe major acts

of terrorism...

against the U.S. are

state-sponsored.

So, we asked ourselves,

"Who could have been behind...

the most massive terrorist

assault in human history...

"which state?"

I think Iraq is the state that

most immediately comes to mind.

- This is an idea which in...

- (PHONE RINGING)

is gaining increased

credibility.

Knight Ridder, it's Strobel.

THE ITALIAN LADY: Jim Woolsey

is going to Europe...

to try to find a link

between Saddam...

and the 1993 World Trade Center

bombing.

Is he freelancing?

THE ITALIAN LADY: He was sent

on an official government jet.

Jesus, who sent him?

THE ITALIAN LADY:

The deputy defense secretary.

Can you meet for coffee?

THE ITALIAN LADY:

I'll be in touch.

Hi, this is Warren

Strobel with Knight Ridder.

I'm working on a story...

about former CIA director James

Woolsey traveling to Europe.

Do you know anything about that?

DIPLOMAT:
I didn't have

anything to do with that.

But you're aware that such

a trip has taken place?

DIPLOMAT:
I can't be your only

source on this.

All right, stay in touch.

Hey, John.

Woolsey was sent to Europe

to look for evidence...

linking Saddam to the World

Trade Center bombing in '93.

Wouldn't be a fool's errand if

they didn't send a fool.

This came from The Italian Lady?

And a diplomat who can

confirm...

the trip was arranged by

Wolfowitz.

What the hell is going on

over at Defense?

Question is, are they trying to

figure out...

if there's any truth to their

theory...

or are they already convinced

their theory is true?

You're sure about

this Woolsey trip?

- Positive.

- You have a third source?

- Yeah.

- Who?

Jim Woolsey.

Hey, it's Walcott,

you up for a field trip?

I figured you'd be calling...

I just didn't think

it would be this soon.

How real is the chatter

about Iraq?

Very.

And it's diverting our attention

from the people who attacked us.

How soon before Iraq becomes

the focus?

We need to blow something up.

Not enough targets in

Afghanistan.

What about bin Laden?

You take out bin Laden...

interest in the war goes right

down the shitter.

REPORTER:
A joint offensive in

its sixth day in Tora Bora...

bin Laden's suspected

hideout...

but still no signs of the

world's most wanted man.

U.S. B-52s pounding Al Qaeda

positions from the air...

while anti-Taliban tanks...

and troops meet strong

resistance...

cave to cave,

from Al Qaeda fighters.

With yet more conflicting

reports...

on bin Laden's whereabouts.

What you got there...

is that your State of the

Union piece for tomorrow?

- Yup.

- You got a lunch today?

Not with you.

I got a one-on-one with Looney

Tunes over at State.

There's a dry hole.

Yeah, well, I figured if I just

let him ramble on...

he'll accidentally stumble

into something newsworthy.

Yeah, well, give my best.

I will. Hot off the presses,

Beryl.

Did you use punctuation

this time?

I even threw in a few semicolons

just for you.

I bet you're the pride of the

University of Missouri.

Terrorists who once occupied

Afghanistan...

now occupy cells

at Guantanamo Bay.

And terrorist leaders who urged

followers to sacrifice...

their lives are running'

for their own.

Now, the administration's top

priority apart from our own...

security is to ensure

freedom for other countries...

looking to embrace democracy

as a way of life.

Now, we... excuse me... we

understand that we can't...

be the policemen to the world...

but we feel we

have a responsibility to...

Yeah, John Walcott.

DIXIE:
John!

Dixie?

DIXIE:
John, can you hear me?

Yeah, yeah, I can hear you.

I got a call from one of

our boys downrange today...

asking me what the f***'s

going on.

Are you still in Afghanistan?

Yeah, I'm in Afghanistan...

but nobody knows what the

mission is anymore.

How do you bomb a country back

into the Stone Age...

that's already in the middle

of the goddamn Stone Age?

Our second goal is to prevent

regimes that sponsor terror...

from threatening America,

or our friends and allies...

with weapons of mass

destruction.

We believe that Afghanistan

is ripe for freedom.

Now, this is a country that has

been struggling to free...

itself from the repressive grip

of the Taliban for years.

We've got bin Laden on the run

and they're diverting my assets.

We may never get him in our

crosshairs again.

Whoa, whoa, wait, they're

diverting your assets to where?

Some of these regimes have been

pretty quiet since...

September the 11th, but we know

their true nature.

You know, it's a country in

desperate need of the kind...

of stability that comes with the

rule of law.

North Korea, Iran, Iraq...

states like these...

and their terrorist allies

constitute an axis of evil...

arming to threaten the

peace of the world.

You'll have to excuse me...

Warren, but I have to prepare

a briefing for Secretary Powell.

Sure.

Anything else you need from me?

No, no, thank you.

I think you've given me

more than enough to chew on.

Excellent.

And you feel confident that

Afghanistan...

will accept a Western-style

democracy?

Oh, absolutely.

Just as confident as

we are about Iraq.

Sounds like the debate on Iraq

is getting serious.

Oh, no, no, no, that debate

is over.

Saddam's got to go,

the only question is how.

Good talking to you, Warren.

Yeah, you, too, sir.

The president

is going to invade Iraq.

WALCOTT:

You got this from Looney Tunes?

Yeah, and confirmed by a

diplomat who says he met...

with Bush, and a foreign leader

recently who came away with...

"The feeling that a decision has

been made to strike Iraq."

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