“The judges from Russia, China, Poland and Ukraine represent an axis of cheaters,” Mr. Bush said to a standing ovation in a special joint session of Congress. “And don’t even get me started on the judges from France.”
Mr. Bush did not set a timetable for a military campaign to remove the sneaky judges, but left little doubt as to his resolve.
“Make no mistake: dead or alive, not over my dead body,” Mr. Bush said, to thunderous applause.
Mr. Bush’s speech, however, drew criticism from some of America’s allies who viewed it as an example of bellicose and reckless rhetoric from a superpower on a roll. But Britain’s Tony Blair was steadfast in his support of Mr. Bush, pledging British troops to help root out the crummy judges.
“Do we have any doubt that, if given a chance, these figure-skating judges would not have given the Canadians a four, or even a three?” Blair said in a speech to the House of Commons. “This shall not stand.”
While the decision to use military force against the figure-skating judges was Mr. Bush’s, sources say there was a split within the administration as to the appropriateness of using U.S. troops and air power to change the results of an Olympic skating contest.
These sources indicate that Secretary of State Colin Powell favored using economic and diplomatic measures while Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz advocated detaining and torturing the figure-skating judges until they reversed their earlier decision.
In an instant poll taken last night, 93 percent of Americans agreed with Mr. Wolfowitz.
