For the Record

■ President Bush: “Our nation has experienced one of the darkest moments in our history.” … “I gave them fair warning and they chose not to heed it.” . . . “This will be a long war. It requires understanding and patience from the American people.” … “I want Congress to hear loud and clear, it is unacceptable behavior to leak classified information when we have troops at risk.” . . . Defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld: “The cruise missiles and bombers are not going to solve this problem.” . . . House majority leader Dick Armey, on Fox News: “We need to wipe these people out.”

■ In CBS News poll, Bush approval rating at 90 percent. . . . GOP pollster Bill Mclnturff says presidential-approval numbers usually fall back to previous position within six months and always within one year. “The historic precedent is that by August of next year, Bush would be about back to where he was before all of this started,” he tells Los Angeles Times. … In CNN/USA Today poll, Bush leads unnamed Democratic candidate 54 percent to 29 percent in mock 2004 election. . . . Sen. Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.), in The Hill: “When you’re sitting on 90 percent, there’s only one way to go, and that’s down.” . . . White House chief of staff Andy Card discusses Bush, on PBS NewsHour: “His intellectual capacity is exceeding all expectations.”

Featured Tags

■ President Bush: “Our nation has experienced one of the darkest moments in our history.” … “I gave them fair warning and they chose not to heed it.” . . . “This will be a long war. It requires understanding and patience from the American people.” … “I want Congress to hear loud and clear, it is unacceptable behavior to leak classified information when we have troops at risk.” . . . Defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld: “The cruise missiles and bombers are not going to solve this problem.” . . . House majority leader Dick Armey, on Fox News: “We need to wipe these people out.”

■ In CBS News poll, Bush approval rating at 90 percent. . . . GOP pollster Bill Mclnturff says presidential-approval numbers usually fall back to previous position within six months and always within one year. “The historic precedent is that by August of next year, Bush would be about back to where he was before all of this started,” he tells Los Angeles Times. … In CNN/USA Today poll, Bush leads unnamed Democratic candidate 54 percent to 29 percent in mock 2004 election. . . . Sen. Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.), in The Hill: “When you’re sitting on 90 percent, there’s only one way to go, and that’s down.” . . . White House chief of staff Andy Card discusses Bush, on PBS NewsHour: “His intellectual capacity is exceeding all expectations.”