Saddam Speaks to Attack Possibility

AP via Yahoo ^ | Thu Aug 8, 4:01 AM ET | AP

[Don Carlos]

Get ready to see hundreds, if not thousands, of US troops, to say nothing of Iraqi and Kurdish and maybe even Israeli and Turkish civilians, gassed and/or infected with anthrax

Delivered by what means? I dont mean to underestimate his evil intentions, but in order to deploy Chem/Bio, Saddam has to possess a delivery vehicle of some sort. Dont think he has much in the way of delivery.

My guess is, the highest danger will come from our (US) inadvertently hitting a Chem/Bio storage facility located in a populated area. Should this happen, his own population, and obviously, any attacking forces nereby would be as serious risk.

[johnb838]

Oh come now... The civilians have a lot to worry about, but I think our boys will be better equipped than to let a little anthrax and nerve gas slow them down. Remember, the stuff ain't that easy to deliver that much of and it isn't contagious.

Frankly I think we here in the states ought to be a more worried about ourselves when it comes to chem-bio than the troops since our government seems to be determined to let the arabs have their way with us in the interest of political correctness.

[Scott from the Left Coast]

Siege tactics are very effective, and our military is well-equipped for such (as with the scenario you point out).

There is one aspect of siege tactics, however, that could be problematic, in that it is one that plays on America's (and west's as a whole) greatest weakness:

A siege takes time. And you fight a siege most effectively by reducing the will of besieging force to continue. In modern days, against the west, this will take the form of using its own "sensibilities" against it. Much like the Palestinians tactics, they will attack our will to continue the fight by showing how we are killing (starving, bombing) children. How we are hurting the "working people" and the "impoverished people" of Iraq. They will fight our siege with PR.

It'll take only hours to convince the French, Germans and all non-British Europeans that this siege is a "crime against humanity". Our own left in this country will be on board with the PR campaign against us within a week. This is not enough time for an effective siege.

This is why there is so much emphasis on quick, decapitating strikes in our military planning. We don't just want to finish it quickly, we NEED to finish it quickly, before our own (leftist-dominated) media and population turn on our own government and military as heartless "criminals."

We are hamstrung in tough battles and wars by this inability to stomach long, bloody fights -- for a significant proportion of our population and culture will tolerate the death of our enemies any easier than the death of our own people. It is our greatest weakness, and a profoundly devastating one.

[MrB]

Yes, I had that thought in the back of my mind too.
Just look how many on the left are saying the current sanctions are killing Iraqi children. Just imagine their horror at completely (effectively) cutting off all supplies.

Too bad, too. We could minimize our losses with this method, and history shows that it works.

[Almondjoy]

The white signifies pure and innocence.. remember in the political world appearences are everything.. "Transparency" is all this is required to be a partner. Which is pretty clear by the way the House of Saud conducts business.

[PoorMuttly]

House of Sand. Put 'em out of business. Use/buy less oil, they return to enjoying their desert.

[The Great Satan]

Correct.

[b4its2late]

With their country already in chaos, the Iraqis have no choice but to do their military planning on the sidewalk.. Hopscotch match to follow.........

[Michael Barnes]

HAHAHHAAAA.....excellent response...

[traditionalist]

Delivered by what means? I dont mean to underestimate his evil intentions, but in order to deploy Chem/Bio, Saddam has to possess a delivery vehicle of some sort. Dont think he has much in the way of delivery.

Tactical WMD can be easily delivered via artillery shells or short range tactical missiles.

My guess is, the highest danger will come from our (US) inadvertently hitting a Chem/Bio storage facility located in a populated area. Should this happen, his own population, and obviously, any attacking forces nereby would be as serious risk.

Perhaps.

[traditionalist]

Saddam's strategy of keeping his troops in populated areas plays into a siege strategy. Our troops take the oil fields throughout the country, establish bases and airfields, and don't let anything in or out of the cities. Any scud strikes could be easily shot down with patriots. Scud sites can be taken out with precision munitions.

Tactical chem/bio weapons do not require scuds for delivery. Patriots can't take out a chem/bio-tipped artillery shell.

Artillery is small and easily hid in bunkers so our planes won't be able to take them out in the preliminary airstrikes.

[johnb838]

Ya know I really like Saddam. I like Fidel too. They are kind of like the last of the old time larger-than-life dictators. They really have a flair for the theatrical. Kind of an anti-hero quality.

I want them both dead hanging from meathooks, but they entertain me.

Also: Have you noticed when they show Iraqi troops drilling or whatever they do they all have these big beer guts and stuff? I've noticed this on the tube several times lately. Whoever it is they show aren't very scary looking. Kinda made me wonder.

[The Great Satan]

I agree. Actually, I think Saddam is way better than Castro. He's really my favorite. Castro's nine-hour speeches on the wonders of socialism are a total snooze. But I break out the popcorn whenever Saddam gets into one of his rants: "O Great and Powerful Allah, may the vultures pick clean the whitened bones of the infidel army of the Great Satan, while the names of our glorious Iraqi warriors are written in the heavens in fields of light." And so on. Really cool stuff, right out of Raiders of the Lost Ark. Plus he looks really angry and sinister, unlike that nancy boy Usama, who was about as scary as John Walker Lindh.