Will there be a March Surprise?

We made fun of Tim Russert's comments following Bush's press conference:

[Bush] has analyzed all the information, all the intelligence, all the data. That he had concluded as commander-in-chief that Saddam Hussein is a risk to American security and that he has made a decision.

thinking that it was Russert's way of excusing the President's lack of detail. However, we were struck by the following exchange on the Charlie Rose Show (6 March 2003):

JIM HOAGLAND: I think there are distinct links between al-Qaeda and Iraq of a nature that helped stage September 11th and other terrorist attacks against Americans.

CHARLIE ROSE: Do you really?

HOAGLAND: I do believe that.

ROSE: But you've seen no evidence.

HOAGLAND: I've seen some evidence. There's evidence buried in CIA files susceptible to various interpretations - that I interpret in that direction.

[and later on in the program:]

ROSE: If they had the information, it would seem to me to be so important to show it to other heads of state, at least.

HOAGLAND: I cannot give you full clarity on this. The one thing I can offer you is that there is a feeling at this White House that you stage your debate pretty much as you stage a political campaign. And you wait until you've got maximum attention - until you've got everybody's attention. You've certainly got Saddam Hussein's attention today. You've got the nation's attention. And you make your best case then. We'll see in a few days, I think, in a very short time, whether there's anything to what I'm saying or not.

Maybe Russert knows something we don't.

posted by Quiddity at 3/07/2003 11:42:00 AM