During Fox News' panel discussion following President Bush's January 10 prime-time speech, Weekly Standard editor William Kristol declared, “I wish there were a little more [in the speech] about winning the war and a little less about helping the Iraqis.” His comments came after he told host and Fox News Washington managing editor Brit Hume that "[o]ne thing that sort of disturbed me about the speech" was that he did not think the president had “use[d] the word 'war' in the speech.” “I'm not sure, I didn't hear it,” Kristol said. “I haven't done a word search here, but I didn't hear it. I wish there were a little more about winning the war and a little less about helping the Iraqis.”

From Fox News' January 10 post-speech coverage:

KRISTOL: We have to win the war, frankly, whether the Iraqis play an excellent game or a pretty good game or even a pretty poor game.

HUME: So you don't think this strategy depends on the Iraqis?

KRISTOL: I don't think it should depend as much on the Iraqis --

HUME: But it does, though, doesn't it?

KRISTOL: -- as the president continues to say it does. I don't know if it really does. He continues to say it does.

HUME: But can it succeed if the Iraqis aren't up to this? Can we really ever succeed there if the Iraqis don't want to do this, if they don't really want to live together and have a democratic or, at least, an open society?

KRISTOL: A lot of them want to live together. That doesn't mean they can pass an oil law. I'll put it -- the president mentioned --

HUME: Yeah, we can't pass an oil law in this country.

KRISTOL: We can't -- no, exactly. You know what? They can pass an oil law tomorrow, and if we don't have secure -- if our forces can't establish security in Baghdad, the place could degenerate into a horrible ethnic cleansing and genocide. Or, if they don't pass an oil law, we could win the war. One thing that struck me, when Fred was talking, he said -- you know, he compared it with previous wars. One thing that sort of disturbed me about the speech, does the president use the word “war” in the speech? I'm not sure, I didn't hear it. I haven't done a word search here, but I didn't hear it. I wish there were a little more about winning the war and a little less about helping the Iraqis.

HUME: That is it for our part of the coverage tonight.