White House says Bush made 'rhetorical point' in warning of Third World War

WASHINGTON - The White House said Thursday that President George W. Bush was simply making "a rhetorical point" when he suggested that if Iran obtained nuclear weapons, it could lead to the Third World War.

"The president was not making any war plans, and he wasn't making any declarations," said White House press secretary Dana Perino. "He was making a point, and the point is that we do not believe - and neither does the international community believe - that Iran should be allowed to pursue nuclear weapons."


If Iran acquired nuclear weapons, she said, "that would lead to a very dangerous - a potentially dangerous situation, and potentially lead to a scenario where you have World War III. But he was using that as a rhetorical point, not, you know, making a declaration."