[d4now]

One U.S. official said the new agent offered to identify the exact location in Baghdad where the American is being held and also offered to obtain a photograph of the prisoner.

Bring him home.

[gcruse]

I have read reports of an underground prison near the Palace at Salman (?) Park. There could be anything in there.

[DB]

Well the bad thing is, now that this is widely reported, Saddam will probably kill him to make all evidence of him disappear. God knows what they've been doing to him all this time to get information from him. Truly sad.

[Timesink]

There's our excuse, as if their refusal to allow weapons inspectors wasn't already enough. Bye bye Saddam!

[DB]

Add this as another reason to remove Saddam.

Permanently.

[blam]

Can you imagine the misery this poor human soul must be going through. How many times has he asked, where are my countrymen? My heart breaks for him.

[Cindy]

Hmmmm....I don't know...the timing of this story seems a bit off. Disinformation has been circulating the 'net lately encased in "official" sounding reports. Well, I pray that our pilot is alive and we can get him out. Now that would be good news!

[Lion's Cub]

Forgive me if I don't believe we "just" found him. Either our eyes in the sky and our listening capabilities are all they're cracked up to be, or they're not.

As angry as I am at the government, I'm elated we may be getting him out. Ten years in the hands of those b@st@rds...

[patriciaruth]

Good Lord, I hope this is all false.

[Imal]

The problem with stories such as this one is this: if he actually is alive, his chances of staying that way are now in question.

If the Iraqis have actually seen fit to keep this man alive secretly for over a decade without making it public -- indeed, according to the article, secrecy is extreme -- then they have some reason for doing so. Secret negotiations with the U.S. for his release in exchange for concessions, perhaps?

If the "secret" is out, then they may feel compelled to make this guy disappear quietly and fast, since he would no longer have value as a bargaining chip once his existence became public. What little international support Iraq has now would erode if they were viewed as holding hostages. They're still stinging from the "human shield" fiasco, which bought them no protection and cost them dearly in the court of world opinion. They also know enough about U.S. public opinion to know an incident like this would be writing a blank check for the President; he could carpet-bomb Baghdad if he wanted to. He almost has that already.

POW or KIA, this brave man's chances of coming home, alive or dead, were always low. Now they may well have just gotten lower.

Imal

[GretchenEE]

Can anyone shed light on why they would release the other POW's and not him?

[WyCoKsRepublican]

Hummmmmmmm Seems we would have heard from Saddam to use use the pilot as a hostage or bargaining chip. I would be skeptical, yet, if there is a ray of hope, then it should be an avenue. I don't think he's alive however, just gut feelings.

[The Raven]

This is a leak from Saddam with a purpose.

[bimbo]

A real embarrasment to Bush41 and his legacy, Bush43. But I wouldn't be surprised if the Clinton Administration had this information years ago and decided to keep it secret.

[A. Pole]

British intelligence provided the CIA and Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) with the new information several months ago, and intelligence officials said it could assist in the ongoing investigation into the fate of Navy Lt. Cmdr. Michael Scott Speicher.

I thought that it was Sgt. William Schumann?!

[snippy_about_it]

bump for later.

[Ranger]

This story was issued today, the very day Cheney goes begins his tour to whip up allied support for attacking Iraq. It of course has the desired impact as Americans won't tolerate this treatment from Iraq. ... The only question I have is why wasn't something done about this in the last 10 years? This is after all the third presidential administration to be know of his captivity?

[a_witness]

1. Attack Iraq very soon.
2. Utterly destroy any Iraqi resistance.

[hchutch]

Get Delta Force ready. Time to bring our pilot home.

[krogers58]

Incoming.....