(Senior) Officials: U.S. Talking Surrender With Iraqi Military Personnel

CNN.com ^ | March 12, 2003 11:46 AM | CNN Correspondant John King from the White House

[ewing]

Officials: United States talking surrender with Iraqi Military Personnel

Surrender Talks

United States officials said Wednesday that surrender negotiations have secretly begun with key Iraqi military officials in hopes that some military units will not fight United States and coalition forces if there is war.

The Pentagon is not handling these communications, officials said, but instead other elements of the United State government are handling them.

One senior official has said that some parts of the Iraqi military already may have agreed not to fight.

[ewing]

We may not get a war after all..

[ambrose]

One senior official has said that some parts of the Iraqi military already may have agreed not to fight.

Perhaps the Iraqis are even closer to the French than previously imagined...

[ewing]

Time to practice those white flag rifle lifts!

[ambrose]

Of course, these stories may also be for Saddam's benefit... let him read this, hear of the rumors, then he goes into a paranoid rage and has his generals shot... putting the military in disarray in advance of the war.

[areafiftyone]

Your link is verrrrrrrry interesting!!! :-)

[ken5050]

An Air France jet filled with French military and several thousand white flags took off this morning bound for Bagdad..

[Semper Paratus]

This proves the French have been advising Iraq's military.

[Salvation]

**that some parts of the Iraqi military already may have agreed not to fight.**

This will be interesting to follow.

[ncooper777]

perhaps the Iraqis are more tired of saddam, than we know. They are saying, surrendering to the Americans is better than fighting for someone they hate! Most of them will welcome Americans.

[Democratic_Machiavelli]

They were supposed to be secret and CNN shouted it to the whole world? I wonder how long these military leaders have before Saddam starts sending his goons after them.

[prairiebreeze]

Possibly. Seems to be a win-win situation except for perhaps, letting the French weasle out of their potential treason at the UN and letting the UN think it was all their doing and came about because of the likes of Hans Blix and his "inspections".

Prairie

[hispanarepublicana]

I have long wondered (just in the back of my mind),if in fact, Pres. Bush was setting the left up so that he could later say, "They've surrendered. We've disarmed them and changed the regime without a drop of blood spilled. All it took was the U.S. standing firm in the face of U.N. pressure, the sheer POTENTIAL of war against the U.S. and the pressure of the U.S. military in their back yard. What the hell are you gonna complain about now?"

[geedee]

Tell me this wouldn't be justice . . . We walk into Baghdad unopposed to find Saddam and his henchmen hanging from that ugly-ass, crossing sword monument he built to himself. Then, we kick out all the Axis of Weasel companies, cancel all their contracts, and make all their citizens go live with Yasser Arafat.

Sweet. THAT would be sweet.

[SamAdams76]

Perhaps the Iraqis are even closer to the French than previously imagined...

But in this case, it will be an honorable surrender. From the standpoint of an Iraqi, anything that can be done to remove Saddam from power should be considered as an act of patriotism (if such a term can be applied to the Iraqis).

[ewing]

I'd go for that as well! Psy-ops is a wonderful thing..

[Wphile]

Sheesh...why are they reporting this? I'm sure there is all sorts of psy-ops going on and having it broadcast on the news certainly doesn't help.

[Balding_Eagle]

They were supposed to be secret and CNN shouted it to the whole world?

Why not? CNN isn't on the side of good. This is a war between good and evil, CNN chose their side long ago.

[mitchbert]

I wouldn't be surprised if among the first casualties of this war will be Saddam's political officers who are supposed to kill Iraqi soldiers who don't want to fight. If they're so emphatic that the Iraqi Army sacrifice for Saddam they may be given the opportunity to be first.

[The KG9 Kid]

"... We may not get a war after all.."

That wouldn't break my heart.

What we want is to waltz in there and have the Iraqis yell 'Yippee!'.

[ewing]

Sounds like a Rovian move straight out of the playbook!