Bush: 'The stakes are high'; Crisis testing president's 'right stuff'
Aug. 9, 1990
<BODY>
President Bush has eased tensions with the Soviet Union, made progress on arms control and ousted Panamanian strongman Manuel Noriega.
But those achievements pale in comparison to the stakes in the Persian Gulf - the toughest crisis in Bush's 19-month presidency.
<HEADER:A279735>
Saddam visits his 'guests'; Hostages being held 'to prevent a war'; 'Family chat' just staged 'intimidation'
Aug. 24, 1990
<BODY>
The man President Bush compares to Adolf Hitler took a page out of the Nazi dictator's propaganda manual by going on television with several of the foreign hostages he calls "guests."
For 45 minutes, Saddam Hussein - in scenes quickly replayed throughout the world - lectured, smiled and joked with several hostage families, most British. Several times he patted children on the head.
<HEADER:A299826>
<ICON:P>
James Baker; Bush's dealmaker; The secretary of State plays chess, courting Congress and squaring off with Saddam; Diplomat has 'only job he ever wanted'
Dec. 5, 1990
<BODY>
Secretary of State James Baker - who defends the administration's Iraq policy on Capitol Hill today - is the man caught in the crossfires of the war of nerves in the Persian Gulf.
Reluctant in August to endorse a confrontation with Iraq's Saddam Hussein, he has since engineered a whirlwind of diplomacy. Now, four months after the crisis began, the scion of a wealthy Houston family hopes to pull off what once seemed impossible: a peaceful end, without a U.S. shot fired.
<HEADER:A307067>
The 'ultimate decision' rests with Bush alone
Jan. 15, 1991
<BODY>
Presidents who have ordered U.S. troops into battle have called it the most agonizing, gut-wrenching move they had to make.
Now, it's President Bush's turn to face what he calls his "ultimate decision" in the Persian Gulf.
<HEADER:A307041>
<ICON:P>
World waits as deadline nears; Win or lose, Saddam may be Arab hero
Jan. 15, 1991
<BODY>
He's been called a madman, a megalomaniac and a geo-political poker player with nerves of steel.
And as midnight approaches tonight - a witching hour that could plunge the Middle East into war - the eyes of the world are focused on the one man who still holds all the cards: Saddam Hussein.
<HEADER:A307715>
<ICON:P>
U.S. commander a veteran taskmaster; Army general 'smart and demanding'
Jan. 17, 1991
<BODY>
Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf, commander of U.S. forces in the Persian Gulf, has two nicknames his associates find perfectly appropriate.
They call him "the bear," or "Stormin' Norman."
At 6-foot-3, Schwarzkopf is indeed bear-like. "He's a big fellow," said his former boss, retired Army Gen. Robert Sennewald. "All of his actions and his movements are those of a big person who's very confident," said Sennewald, former commander of the Army Forces Command.
<HEADER:A309346>
The military's new breed; Top brass are showing more polish
Jan. 28, 1991
<BODY>
The information squeeze was on, and tensions between the press and the military brass were heating up. Then Gen. Colin Powell, cool as a January night in the desert, spoke:
"Trust me. Trust me," the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff told the assembled press corps last week as he showed them a graph of Iraqi radar activity. He gave them a sly smile. Some in the audience couldn't help laughing.
<HEADER:A318332>
<ICON:P>
Bush disputes Schwarzkopf war account
March 28, 1991
<BODY>
President Bush on Wednesday downplayed allied commander Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf's assertion that he had advised against ending the war with Iraq on Feb. 27.
"There was total agreement in terms of when this war should end" from all military advisers, including Schwarzkopf, Bush said.
<HEADER:A318411>
General gets a pep talk
March 28, 1991
<BODY>
President Bush said Thursday that he and Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf agree there's only one version of how the gulf war ended: the president's.
Bush called Schwarzkopf to say "not to worry about this incident," said White House spokesman Roman Popadiuk.
