Since when are rebel Iraqis and aggressors in the Middle East a greater threat then the combined military forces of the Free World ? A threat of invasion from the greatest military the world has ever seen was a far greater threat to Saddam then any thing else. The ease at which that military threat disposed Saddam from power was evidence of that fact. Days to Baghdad. Not weeks or months. On the eve of invasion Saddam should have been 'coming clean' on having no WMD. He did not.
"Saddam, it says, even fooled his own military chiefs into believing that he had WMD. This was designed to deter uprising from rebel Iraqis, on whom he deployed mustard gas in 1988, and aggressors in the Middle East."
justa-hairy ape responded: "Since when are rebel Iraqis and aggressors in the Middle East a greater threat then the combined military forces of the Free World ? A threat of invasion from the greatest military the world has ever seen was a far greater threat to Saddam then any thing else. The ease at which that military threat disposed Saddam from power was evidence of that fact. Days to Baghdad. Not weeks or months. On the eve of invasion Saddam should have been 'coming clean' on having no WMD. He did not.
My response (a quote from my response on another related thread is below) is that if you need a more convincing answer to the question everyone is asking, "Why didn't he fess up?", it is that, since he had France, Russia and China in his payoff pocket, he knew the US could never pass the Global Test. What he didn't count on was that Bush, in post 9/11 mode, would not put a "global test" before the security of the US when considering pre-emptive action. Saddam failed to listen or understand when Bush clearly stated that 9/11 changed everything.
"It is apparent that Saddam thought Bush II would be concerned about a "global test". Good thing Kerry wasn't President and God help us if he, or someone who thinks like him ever is. This report illuminates the danger of the "global test" doctrine, and leaders of all parties should reject it in the interest of the nation."