1-16-91 The United States is at war. There has been no congressional declaration to that effect, but as of this evening the coalition forces led by the United States are bombing Iraqi targets in Iraq and Kuwait. I heard the news shortly after awakening from a nap this afternoon. I always watch Crossfire at 6:30 P.M., but when I tuned in CNN [Cable News Network] shortly after six o’clock I learned of the war in the Persian Gulf instead. Three CNN correspondents—Bernard Shaw, Peter Arnett, and John Holleman [sic; should be "Holliman"]—were reporting live from Baghdad amid the sounds of bombs bursting. They must have been frightened for their lives, because Shaw at one point claimed to be crawling along the floor. You could hear the terror in their voices. At eight o’clock this evening President [George Herbert Walker] Bush made a televised speech in which he described the military operation and stated his aims. By that time I was at the Wheels in Motion bicycle shop in Arlington to attend a meeting of the Texas Wheels Cycling Club (TWCC). Before leaving, I set my videotape recorder to tape Bush’s speech, but when I got to the store I found everyone watching it on overhead screens. When the speech ended, a couple of people applauded and we went on with our business. Needless to say, when I returned home I spent several hours—until one o’clock—watching coverage of the war on television.
Note from KBJ: Anybody remember this? What shocks and awes me is that Wolf Blitzer is still at CNN.
Keith Burgess-Jackson, J.D., Ph.D. 