"Third verse, same as the first..."
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush said Thursday Iran may pose the greatest challenge to the United States and diplomacy to thwart the Islamic nation's nuclear program must prevail to avoid confrontation.
In a 49-page national security report, the president reaffirmed the strike-first, or pre-emptive policy he first outlined in 2002. Diplomacy is the U.S. preference in halting the spread of nuclear and other heinous weapons, Bush said.
"If necessary, however, under long-standing principles of self-defense, we do not rule out the use of force before attacks occur - even if uncertainty remains as to the time and place of the enemy's attack," Bush wrote.
"When the consequences of an attack with weapons of mass destruction are potentially so devastating, we cannot afford to stand idly by as grave dangers materialize. ... The place of pre-emption in our national security strategy remains the same."
The White House plans to release the National Security Strategy report in conjunction with a speech that Bush's national security adviser, Stephen Hadley, is delivering at the U.S. Institute of Peace.
The report, Bush's second since becoming president, summarizes his strategy to protect the United States and improve U.S. relations with other nations. When he sent his first report to Congress - a year after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001 - Bush was struggling to persuade U.S. allies to join an offensive to topple Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.
"Just last night, I was reminded of, just how bad, it had gotten, and just how sick....I had become."
I am reduced to quoting song lyrics. Sometimes I just don't know what to say anymore.