[nuffsenuff]

1. Because Saddam Hussein was more interested in saving his own skin than saving his country. He did not care if the US killed every Iraqi as long as he could somehow survive and come back to regain power.

2. Saddam Hussein believed that the US' tolerance for "pain" (US Casualities) was low. He was convinced that the naysayers in the US could be used to cause us to withdraw from Iraq. We'd done it before... i.e. Somalia. All the evidence points to this... He didn't fight to the death. He went into hiding and began his plan B. Insurgence. Plan A was France successfully undermining US resolve to invade and that plan obviously failed.

[ravingnutter]

Add in a pattern of behavior to the equation:

NICOSIA [May 03, 2002] — Iraq has issued another appeal for the return of aircraft flown to Iran on the eve of the 1991 Gulf war.

Iraq said it flew 148 military and civilian aircraft to Teheran to avoid destruction by the United States. Iran has never returned the aircraft, linking it to demands for Iraqi compensation for the 1980-88 war between Baghdad and Teheran.

Iran is holding 24 Su-24, 4 MiG-29s, four MiG-25s 12 MiG-23s, 24 Su-20 and S-25 fighter-jets. In addition, President Saddam Hussein ordered 20 Tu-22 bombers to Iran.

Most of the aircraft are said to have deteriorated through lack of maintenance. Teheran, however, has quietly overhauled Iraq's fleet of 24 Mirage F-1B fighters.

Earlier this week, Saddam called on Iran and other countries to return the aircraft, saying they would be used to help the Palestinian war against Israel.

Saddam calls on Iran to return 148 war planes