Saddam Hussein plans to strike back hard

upi via middle east times ^ | 7/21/02 | Arnaud de Borchgrave UNITED PRESS INTERNATIONAL

[knak]

If President George W. Bush doesn't have a war plan on his desk to unhorse Saddam Hussein – maybe he doesn't allow The New York Times to touch his desk - the Iraqi dictator most assuredly has one on his own desk.

It will include everything in Iraq's arsenal, according to what Hussein told his inner circle of advisors and two sons during a five-hour meeting last month that was leaked to a Saudi newspaper.

"Everything" in this instance means weapons of mass destruction. Iraq is known to possess both chemical and biological weapons.

Hussein made clear to his acolytes he would wait for the U.S. to throw the first punch – and then hit back with everything he's got, both on the battlefield and "all other fronts." This presumably means the activation of 'sleeper' cells in the United States.

The beneficiary of the Iraqi leak was the Saudi newspaper Al Watan Al Arabi, which quoted sources close to the ruling family in Baghdad.

Present at Hussein's war council were two new officials, "who were recently assigned by [Hussein's son] Qusay to organize intelligence cells abroad."

It's a safe bet that "intelligence cells" in this instance is Iraqi jargon for 'sabotage of U.S. targets of convenience.'

Referring to the green light Bush gave the CIA to "assassinate or arrest me," Hussein, reportedly said, the U.S. president "has left Iraq no room to be tolerant... His war on us is now declared and he is publicly leaking information today that he gave orders to use all means and weapons to violate Iraq's sovereignty and international law by assassinating me in Iraq."

Hussein then told the participants he wanted to hear their views and analysis, "calmly without getting emotional." That is asking the impossible of people whose culture is hyperbole.

So, one after another, they emoted from the same sheet, working up to a crescendo to take the war to America.

The first to speak was Ali Hasan Al Majid, a presidential cousin who is widely known as 'Chemical Ali' and is accused of being responsible for the massacres in the south following the 1991 uprising at the end of the Gulf War.

"Mr. President, the Iraqi people have tolerated the intolerable from these Americans... has the time not come to take the fight to their own homes in America? They wanted this to be a war on all fronts, so let it be a war on all fronts and using all weapons and means."

Samples from the others:

- "The Americans must know that the heroes of Iraq can become human bombs in the thousands, willing to blow up America in particular."

- "With a simple sign from you, we can make America's people sleepless and frightened to go out in the streets... I swear upon your head, sir, that if I do not turn their night into day and their day into a living hell, I will ask you to chop off my head before the brothers present."

- "I am confident that our entire nation will be set aflame [by the Americans] and they must know that the entire region will turn into rubble with Israel at the forefront."

- "If [Osama] Bin Laden truly did carry out the September attacks as they claim, then, as God is my witness, we will prove to them that what happened in September is a picnic compared to the wrath of Saddam Hussein."

After five hours of "fiery elocution," all agreed "on the need for a strong response to the now public hostile U.S. plan and the importance for Iraq not to wait or hesitate."

All except Hussein, that is. He said the United States is using "all its dominion and tyranny not just to humiliate Iraq, but... every Arab in the land of Arabs and every Muslim in the land of Islam... just as [Bush] rejected [Palestinian Authority President] Yasser Arafat, he will reject Saddam Hussein, and tomorrow [Syrian President] Bashar Al Assad, and after that another Arab leader until U.S. dominion reaches the rights, wealth and destiny of the Arab...

"Bush, his gang and his intelligence bodies should know that as soon as they start this battle or we get wind of its beginning, Iraq will turn from reaction to action...

"At that moment everything will be handed over to Qusay Saddam Hussein to directly oversee the retaliation plans... using all the weapons and fronts available."

Hussein's son Uday, according to the leaked minutes in the Saudi paper, still insisted Iraq should launch preemptive attacks against the United States.

The dictator reminded him, "so far the U.S. has done nothing except take a decision on paper. A number of officials know from experience that implementation will not be easy.

"[The Americans] have taken many decisions over the past 12 years and we have foiled them all. What's important today is to wait for the U.S. to throw the first punch and then we will not just react, but will act and take actions."

At the very least, concluded an anonymous top security official in a large Arab state – widely rumored to be Saudi Prince Turki, the retired chief of Saudi intelligence who held the job for 25 years - what will happen between Bush 43 and Hussein will be larger and more dangerous than what happened between Hussein and Bush 41.

Hopefully the U.S. Senate will get to debate war powers for the commander-in-chief for Gulf War II before the battle of leaks transmogrifies into an alliance between Hussein and Bin Laden – weapons of mass destruction and terrorism in the United States.

Arnaud de Borchgrave is editor-at-large of United Press International

[Centurion2000]

We get a smallpox epidemic here and Iraq and anyone else we think did it will go up in nuclear fire that God wont be able to sort the ashes afterwards.

The people of the US will exterminate entire nations and cultures when we think the cause is just. Ask Nazi Germany, Imperial Japan or the Indians.

[vikzilla]

I'd love to know who turned Ritter into a turncoat, and what the price was.

You said a mouthfull with that statement. I don't get it either. He went from hawk to apologist overnight. I would love to know what his motivations are.

[MissAmericanPie]

I guess, with this confession on Saddams part, that no other evidence is needed of his continued build up of weapons of mass destruction despite all the useless paper work he has signed to the contrary, and all his lying words to the contrary.

Wouldn't you love to be the one to direct the war on Iraq? I love military strategy and I'm so curious as to what ours would be, especially given that Saddam will hide his troops among the civilian population this time.

[aculeus]

I'd love to know who turned Ritter into a turncoat, and what the price was.

My guesses: Iraq. $1 million down and $500 thousand for every tv appearance. Payments in Swiss bank account. Negotiations were carried out by a cutout.

[Dan Day]

Even if Iraq does have "sleeper" cells in the US already, I think a more likely scenario is:

1. US takes out Saddam Hussein.

2. The remaining head honchos in Iraq ask themselves whether they should a) activate the sleeper cells and trigger a massive US response that burns Iraq to the ground, or b) let bygones by bygones, call the sleeper cells back home, and rule their little kingdom.

I think the choice would be clear.

MAD (Mutually Assured Destruction) is a good deterrent, but not if you're the one making the first move.

[EBITDA]

You would think that after having 10 years to learn the art of hyperbolic bluster from James Carville and Paul Begala that Saddam would be able to come up with something better than this.

[CROSSHIGHWAYMAN]

Yep! People need to be reminnded how the demo-lefties in Congress made the vote on the Gulf War a very close event!

Especially Al Gore's attempt to get his face on "prime time" by making a deal to support the war.

Just like Clinton, he would place his own personal interests ahead of the safety of the nation. Is there any question why Clinton picked him for his running mate?

They are like two peas in a pod!!

[FreedomFriend]

Do you believe that the U.S. should attack a sovereign nation?

I'm against getting entangled with foreign alliances. If we're attacked, fine. However, what gives us the right to attack another country?

I haven't heard or seen any viable reports of this supposed nuclear arsenal? If that's the case, then it'd be okay. However, as it now stands, it sounds like more fluff than substance.

[Bamaconservative]

They'd get it wrong. "Noooo..... nooooo."

[monkeyshine]

"all other fronts." This presumably means the activation of 'sleeper' cells in the United States.

I don't think he's got too may "sleeper cells" in the USA. Not that there aren't enemy agents, only that they don't necessarily work for Saddam.

I think the "other fronts" is a reference to an attack on Israel.

[Octar]

I'd love to know who turned Ritter into a turncoat, and what the price was. You said a mouthfull with that statement. I don't get it either. He went from hawk to apologist overnight. I would love to know what his motivations are.

It's my thought that the reasons, complex as they may or may not be, have caused Mr. Ritter to be in fear for his life. He's not a dope and he must know how his turning appears to those who follow this issue. I just wonder about the reasons why he continues to appear on the media. Maybe this is part of whatever arrangement he has made to continue to live. He knows a lot more than he is telling, that's for sure.

[Paulie]

"I'd love to know who turned Ritter into a turncoat, and what the price was."

I first learned about his 180 degree turn listening to a Bob Grant interview (playing hookey from work that day). To say I was taken back by Ritter's attitude is an understatement. I used to think he was in the same category as Ollie North.

[The Great Satan]

The amazing thing to me is that, even after watching the the destruction of the WTC on live TV, most people still don't get it. Why would Saddam not use biological weapons of mass destruction against the US should we try to kill him or remove him from power? The destruction of the World Trade Center demonstrates that Saddam has neatly circumvented the need for ICBMs to deliver WMD against the US civilian population. We've known he's possessed at least one doomsday weapon -- aerosolizable anthrax -- since before the Gulf War. Although it's not considered polite to mention it, his possession of that anthrax in 1990 was what emboldened him to invade his next-door neighbour, rain ballistic missiles on Israel, and set fire to all the oil wells of Kuwait. It was his insurance that we wouldn't touch him, and it worked.

Should we be surprised that, having prototyped the use of terrorist fanatics as "human missiles" against the Jews, Saddam should feel emboldened to take the war home to his greatest adversary, the Great Satan itself? This should have been a no-brainer, but the United States has been "like a sleepwalker," living in a childish dreamworld for eight years. And most people have still to wake up....

[FreedomFriend]

So the U.S. should go in and fight a war that has the ability to rage like none before? Furthermore, when we aren't attacked, you think that this is the best method to go? I could understand if he was sending down cruise missiles onto U.S. soil, or if Iraq was actively bombing other countries, but come on.

People must think about where such actions will lead. Let them deal with each other. Intervening only drags America down.

[The Great Satan]

Huh? Saddam has hit us. He hit us hard. Three thousand dead. The New York skyline rearranged. He came within a hair's breadth of destroying the Capitol and the White House on the same morning. He has to be dealt with. The question is how? I think George W. Bush answered that question the other day: "By every means possible."

[SevenDaysInMay]

The children of Baath Party officials will be praying to Jesus to save their fathers from the hangman's jig. As for the radiation poisoning from Israel's nuclear response to WMD, Baath Party families' own children will not have a prayer of being born healthy.

Payback for the Kurd's mass murder and genetic damage from poison gas attacks.

[FreedomFriend]

That was Saddam's doing? How do you know?

[The Great Satan]

Like I say, you still don't get it. To get it, you have to understand the following:

1. Our government has been stalling for nine months on the source of the anthrax used in the threats which followed up 9/11.

2. Whoever gave a sample of weaponized anthrax to the 9/11 terrorists is the real author of 9/11.

3. That would be Saddam Hussein.

Now, let that sink in, and go back and re-read the article at the head of this thread. If you're very smart, a light bulb might go off. However, I doubt you're that smart.

[The Great Satan]

As for the radiation poisoning from Israel's nuclear response to WMD, Baath Party families' own children will not have a prayer of being born healthy.

You don't get it. The WMD are to prevent us from hitting him back, just as they were in 1991. He no more intends to use them than we intend to use our nuclear deterrent. He has taken the initiative, and it's our hands that our tied, not his.

[FreedomFriend]

It's been sad that the Anthrax's source was Fort Detrick, Maryland. How is that Saddam?