(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.

[adam_az]

more like camel-eating surrender camels ;)

saddam hussein is bravely willing to fight to the last palestinian, after all!

[Recovering_Democrat]

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.

Well, now hold on a minute. I don't think this would've "gotten out" of Donald Rumsfeld's Defense Department if he didn't want it 'out there'. :)

[elhombrelibre]

I couldn't agree more. I know those who make the comments are just enjoying the jest and breaking the tension, but to fight for Saddam is not something anyone with honor would do.

[Bernard Marx]

This whole thing has been about psy-ops from the git-go. What do you think that highly publicized MOAB explosion was all about yesterday? Our people were very clear it's intended for use on troop concentrations, not cities. CNN, Fox and other news networks publicized that information obligingly.

Naturally we're prepared to fight if necessary. But what kind of idiot really wants a war in which chemical, biological and possibly nuclear agents are almost certain to be deployed, not just on the battlefield but in the U.S. as well? War is the option of last resort.

Don Rumsfeld said a long time ago that a bullet through Saddam's head would save everyone a lot of trouble. I think part of our delay in launching against Iraq is based on letting just such plans work their way out. I for one have no interest in killing any innocents, Iraqui or American.

[Domestic Church]

"If all of this was NOT so DAMN GRAVE, it would be laughable."

And under it all, the question of what degree(75%? 65%? 95%?) this UN waltz is being orchestrated to weaken us(as opposed to just supporting vested $$$ interests.)

And then just as Japan twists Fox's arm to our side he has "emergency" back surgery.

WE have to shut down the UN now, even if we think it is only a 50% or less chance.

[johnb838]

True, all they could really do is maybe set the trenches afire.

Glenn Beck said the troops are calling the trenches "speedbumps".

[twigs]

lobbying... now I like that! My husbands has different names for it:)

[Taffini]

Mussolini the whole lot of them

[Centurion2000]

Not a problem if we don't have a fight ..... then we'll just have a boatload of troops ready for the next country.

Saudi Arabia, Iran and Syria would make lovely targets of opportunities.

[savedbygrace]

Great answer! It's not often I get bested in funny posts back and forth, but you got me. Thanks.

[rundy]

We may not get a war after all..

Yesterday I suggested that Bush was likely "playing high stakes poker and depending on Sadaam to fold" under his bluff. Today Rush indicated that he sometimes thinks that was Bush's strategy all along. However, due to the lack of support at home and abroad (and Americans speaking out abroad) it may have simply prevented Sadaam from folding early like he would likely (hopefully) have done had he seen the world united against him.

I fear Rush might actually be right.

As for the Iraqis surrendering immediately, now here is where the French can help: Give them lessons on surrender!

[twigs]

I agree with you. I've never thought Bush wanted to fight this war; it was always a last resort. I think he's going down to the wire to accomplish his objective short of bloodshed, although I have no doubt that if he needs to, we will go to Baghdad.

[hispanarepublicana]

Today Rush indicated that he sometimes thinks that was Bush's strategy all along

I've often suspected Rush's people lurk here. What time did he say this? Before or after my post #12?

[Destro]

Saddam to Bush--"I dare you to use MOAB and Daisy Cutters and bunker busters in Baghdad to get me---I double dare you".

[Bob J]

It appears the French exported more to Iraq than mobile biologic facilities...

[Bob J]

I dount the US would enter Baghdad for a house to house elimination, and, we are not going to flatten it like we flattened Berlin.

Hussein is preparing his ace card...pull the most loyal troops back into the capitol where the US will have to lay seige to the city. All the PR will be on his side.

[bert]

...the United States was in secret contact....

Note the tense...was, not is or has been since.

In my view this is pretty old news and already digested. There is a pretty good assesment of what units are no longer loyal and which may pretend and which may actually fight.

[bert]

That's a good one Ern.

I'm glad we're all friends here and can make light of one another.

[ThePythonicCow]

the Heydrich-Tukhachecvskiy play.

That one sent me running off to Google.

For the benefit of others, here's what I found at Great Purges:

Stalin now decided to purge the Red Army. Some historians believe that Stalin was telling the truth when he claimed that he had evidence that the army was planning a military coup at this time. Leopold Trepper, head of the Soviet spy ring in Germany, believed that the evidence was planted by a double agent who worked for both Stalin and Hitler. Trepper's theory is that the "chiefs of Nazi counter-espionage" led by Reinhard Heydrich, took "advantage of the paranoia raging in the Soviet Union," by supplying information that led to Stalin executing his top military leaders.

In June, 1937, Mikhail Tukhachevsky and seven other top Red Army commanders were charged with conspiracy with Germany. All eight were convicted and executed. All told, 30,000 members of the armed forces were executed. This included fifty per cent of all army officers.

That Stalin was a nice guy, wasn't he.

[Route66]

I agree. If all out war with Iraq is necessary to get the job done, so be it. But if we can save lives as well as other resources and weapons inventory for the next theater in this war by pre-negotiating surrenders with principles, that would be wonderful.
We don't need the war, just the victory.