America's 48 hours to kill Saddam

The Times ^ | February 12, 2003 | Roland Watson

[MadIvan]

AMERICAN war planners believe that they have little more than 48 hours from the start of a ground war to kill President Saddam Hussein if they are to avoid a protracted conflict and a complicated peace.

Haunted by the failure to capture Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan, Washington is putting in place plans to limit the damage if it fails to topple the Iraqi leader swiftly.

They rest in part on persuading the Iraqi people that US forces control the country even before Saddam’s demise. The Pentagon is planning to drop emergency food and medical aid from the first day of airstrikes to try to win the “hearts and minds” of locals so that they will support the ensuing invasion.

The opening days of the war are planned as a massive air assault lasting just days aimed at collapsing Saddam’s command structure, followed by a “rush for Baghdad” by ground forces. US special forces and CIA teams are already operating on the ground in Iraq. But if US forces cannot find Saddam or present credible evidence that he is dead, they will face stiffer resistance from the Iraqis. “If people think Saddam is still alive they will be frightened to come out and support us, even if he is powerless,” one US official said.

The American failure to get bin Laden “dead or alive”, in Mr Bush’s words, has provided an unsettling background to war planning in Iraq. “Osama bin Laden hangs very heavy over Iraq,” the official said. “We can’t afford another repeat.”

There are formidable difficulties in finding Saddam, who has numerous body doubles and rarely sleeps in the same place two nights running, and America is hoping that its massive show of force will prompt a “palace revolt”.

[MadIvan]

I don't think it was a failure. It is likely bin Laden is dead. The absence of a body should not be construed as failure.

Regards, Ivan

[MadIvan]

Bump!

[Poohbah]

I don't think it was a failure. It is likely bin Laden is dead. The absence of a body should not be construed as failure.

Agreed -- Osama is probably worm and bird s**t across half of the Northwest Frontier by now :o)

[July 4th]

If we don't get him in the opening salvo, he's gone like Mullah Omar. I hope we know where he is right now, so he can have the first Tomahawk or JDAM.

[eastforker]

To keep from posting another article,has anyone else here hear Paul Harvey today when he mentioned a bacterial infection in California that is oblivious to antibiotics?It has supposedly caused boils and infections on the skin.I have not heard a word on this anywhere else and Paul Harvey is kinda like Colin Powell,If he said it,he must have a basis for it and believes it.

[Jeff Chandler]

The US and British forces have to make their presence known throughout all of Iraq for the people to feel safe enough to surrender. If Sadaam is not in control, then it is irrelevent whether he is dead or alive.

[Madame Dufarge]

I don't think it was a failure. It is likely bin Laden is dead. The absence of a body should not be construed as failure.

Yes.

The difference between the life under the Taliban and after replaces the need for a fetid, stinking corpse. This is so wearying.

[blam]

". The Pentagon is planning to drop emergency food and medical aid from the first day of airstrikes to try to win the “hearts and minds” of locals so that they will support the ensuing invasion."

Just don't drop it on their head and kill them like in Afghanistan.

[John H K]

To keep from posting another article,has anyone else here hear Paul Harvey today when he mentioned a bacterial infection in California that is oblivious to antibiotics?It has supposedly caused boils and infections on the skin

It's been on Drudge for days and days and days.

And there are all sorts of resistant infections popping up...hardly anything new. Been going on for years now.

[rs79bm]

Simple. Don't start the war until we have him locked in, so to speak. Once we have him in our cross-hairs, let the bombing begin and let the heaviest bombardments be directed to Saddam's quarters.

[LS]

Yep. He was evaporated at Tora Bora, and that is why NO ONE has seen this guy. We get "body double" tapes---oh, the tapes are real, but the voice is not OBL---but no one has seen him. This guy's ego would have had him all over the place if alive.

[The Iguana]

Just leave enough to identify by DNA testing.

[Joe 6-pack]

We really don't have to kill Saddam. Any of his doubles will do nicely for the propoganda effort. If they say, "You didn't get the real Saddam," we paint him as a coward hiding behind look-a-likes. For a convincing argument to be made that, "Saddam is still alive," he will have to emerge from whatever hole he has been hiding in.

It's what is called, a, "Win-Win," situation.

[eastforker]

I havn't seen anything on FR about it and the hours I have been working hasn't allowed me to surf much.I get almost all my news from FR,I'd be lost without it.

[fifteendogs]

There have been over 1000 cases of this disease reported in Los Angeles alone.

[uncbob]

That is why most will go down fighting.

Willing to bet a lot of them have private stashes just in case they have to bug out
Fighting to the death for Saddam isn't too appealing if you can find a way to flee the scene.
Saddam can't shoot all of them by his own hand

[Dog Gone]

“If people think Saddam is still alive they will be frightened to come out and support us, even if he is powerless,” one US official said.

Well, simple. Tell the Iraqis he's dead, even if we're not sure. If he pops up to say he's not, we smoke him, and claim it was a double.

[eastforker]

Has anyone isolated this bacteria?