Bush keeps option open with Iraq

WASHINGTON -- Wednesday President Bush left open the option of a military attack on Iraq to oust Saddam Hussein. Bush said the Iraqi president "needs to understand I am serious." \nA senior U.S. official told The Associated Press that Bush's top advisers and agencies of the government had been directed to develop and refine a full range of options. \nThe official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the recommendations would then be circulated within the government and sent to the White House so Bush could make a final decision. \nAfter meeting with Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, Bush acknowledged that he is considering various options to deal with Saddam, but he would not disclose any details. \nBush also said any alliance between terrorist organizations and terror-supporting nations with a history of pursuing nuclear or other destructive weapons would be "devastating for those of us who fight for freedom," and the United States would not tolerate it. \n"We, the free world, must make it clear to these nations they have a choice to make," Bush said. "I will keep all options available if they don't make the choice." \nSecretary of State Colin Powell said in jest Tuesday that "natural causes" might be the solution. Powell, 64, noted Saddam was the same age but said he did not appear to be in as good condition. \nPowell has taken the lead in making the public case for ousting Saddam, telling Congress last week that the United States might have to act unilaterally to bring about a "regime change" in Baghdad. \nBush linked North Korea, Iran and Iraq in an "axis of evil" in his State of the Union speech last month. \n"I think we would all agree that countries that are hostile to us and are developing weapons capable of killing hundreds of thousands of people are a serious problem," he said.\nSen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., Appropriations Committee chairman and a Budget panel member, renewed his jab at the "axis of evil" rhetoric, saying it led to protests by millions of Iranians on Tuesday, "whereas there seemed to have been a moderate group in Iran that was beginning to emerge." \nBush, meanwhile, is looking ahead to a trip to Asia next week. There he will offer unconditional talks to North Korea, Powell said.