[PoorMuttly]

I don't like that "American fears" spin. Not at all.

Keep whining, Euros. Only you are listening.

[Lloyd227]

Well, I'm still not convinced that there is a legitimate "need" to take out Saddam, but...

Since we appear headed irrevocably in that direction, I'd say just nuke the bastards from Bagdahd south and be down with it.

Make one big sheet of glass out it all.

[fogarty]

Several dozen nuclear tipped TLAMs would take care of Saddam's little 'urban warfare' strategy.

I won't lose any sleep over the thousands of radiated and vaporized men, women and children. They are Muslims - ie, terrorists in training.

[Thud]

Check out this from the Weekly Standard:
http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/001/541yuamu.asp

"... any "siege of Baghdad" would follow quickly upon successes elsewhere across the country. Given the overwhelming advantage the Americans and their allies would hold outside the city, Iraqi forces (both elite and not) would realize this was the end of the line for Saddam and company. Whether the leaders of the Republican Guard would fight to the death at that point is unknowable, but it is likely the rank and file would not. Iraq's soldiers know that an American conquest of their capital will not result in the wholesale destruction of their homes and the slaughter of their families.

However Saddam came to power and ruled in his early days, he has remained in power by creating overwhelming fear among his subordinates. Once he loses the ability to sustain that fear, how can he maintain the discipline and loyalty of a sufficient number of troops to hold out in Baghdad?

No doubt some in Saddam's inner circle figure that, once captured, they will be held accountable for the crimes they have perpetrated against their countrymen. On the other hand, being captured, tried by an international tribunal, and sentenced to life in prison beats dying a violent death for the sake of a tyrannical thug. No doubt many of Saddam's cronies will prefer to rip off their uniforms and try to disappear into the crowds of Baghdad or into the countryside en route to escaping from the country. This was the choice made by many in Manuel Noriega's Panama Defense Force in 1989 (when, by the way, there was significant urban combat). Once Noriega's officers and soldiers reckoned that he would no longer be ruling Panama--and that the Americans would--their perception of their own interests was reversed. Generals in Iraq who have understood President Bush's rhetoric over the past year may already have made this calculation. ..."

[Bob J]

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[ALASKA]

If he chooses this tactic, I think we should tell the people of Bagdad that they have 72 hours to get as far away from the city as possible, and then at hour 72+ one second we level the capital.

[MP5SD]

In the words of the famous philosopher Marvin Gaye - "Lets get it on"

[templar]

Although reserves of precision-guided missiles were heavily depleted by the war in Afghanistan, munitions manufacturers have bolstered supplies, and despite initial doubts about their availability, the Pentagon is confident in a few months it will have enough for a war with Iraq.

So now we have to save up our munitions to go to war with the likes of Iraq???? I hope we never get into anything with a larger power.

[mercy]

Good plan. Ya gotta give it to the Iraquis. This way they can surrender in the comfort of their own homes and will not have to march out into that stinking desert. Much easier.

Ya gotta know that the average Iraqui's VERY secret thought is "ALLAH! Will these yappity yappity Americans get OFF THEIR DAMN BUTTS and get over here and blast this damnable Sadam to the lower regions of hell ... NOW. I CAN'T WAIT !!! I'd like to have a life ... and there's a CHANCE if we can get rid of this megalomaniac JERK."

[tanknetter]

Not an especially hard strategic or tactical problem to solve ...

Don't go into the city.

The intent of the invasion would be to remove Saddam's ability to develop and deploy WMDs and to a broader extent remove him from power.

Solution: Invade Iraq ... and surround Baghdad. Take out all power generation facilities, the main water supply, etc. Offer food, water and shelter to anyone leaving the city who is not armed (kill those who aren't). IOW lay seige and starve them out ... but provide a way for the "innocents" to be saved (denying the UN and Euroweenies an issue to harp on). Drop LOTS of leaflets into the city announcing this. Allow the Red Cross/Red Crescent and UN to go in and "encourage" people to flee the city ...

Leaves Saddam and his loyalist forces with two options ... stay in the city and starve to death (at some point the water and rats are going to run out), or come out and fight ...

And if he chooses the latter ... he's fighting a land war in the open desert with a dug-in and fortified foe.

[Doc On The Bay]

OH!, PLEASE!!--'Let the Iraqi Military place their Troops in the Confined areas of the Cities!!

THEN, we get to "Field Test" our "ICKY-GAS ATTACK!!"

We get to see how effective our "Tearing-Nauseating-Disorienting-MEGA-Itching gasses are in Urban settings!!

WE GET to capture WHOLE BRIGADES of weeping, Itching, retching "Republican Guards " with NO casualties!!

OH, PLEASE, let "Saddam" concentrate his "Soldiers" in small areas; he will inadvertently save many lives!!

Saddam is STILL fighting WW11!!!

Doc

[SSN558]

The city strategy won't work. Bagdad is huge and contains a majority of the country's population. If it is surrounded and cut off it would fall in less than three months. No bridges, no food, no water, no electricity, no gasoline, no communications etc. The Iraqis will have to be willing to engage in canabilism to hold out in Bag-dead.

[ATOMIC_PUNK]

Saddam you have threatend
Saddam you have harrassed
You didnt follow the rules
That would have saved your @ss

You killed your own people
Shot your own servants
True to you they may have been
Death to you is now your freind
Just matter of time saddam
Just a matter of place
We and our allies will wipe you from the face
From this planet called earth such a lovely place

And let this be a warning
To all those who oppose
We will not be bloodied nor Torn or Thrown
From wiping out evil where ever it grows
The taliban did not stand nor hitler and his creed
To the saudis who love him and follow his way
Your next on the list
Of the axis of evil who must not exist

To osama bin ladin
Be you alive or dead
Just show us your face and we will end it in red
The only justice for you is to end up dead
Your sons may follow and end up the same
And nobody will care if you all die in vane
And if you are dead
And many hope you are

We hope your saving room in hell
For your family and the like
They will be following soon
To join you and your goats and your pigs in the orgy
Because virgins arent on the list you think your dieing for
But rancid whores and blisters from flame
You will be suffering in that place that carries many names

And so in closing we can tell you this
America will stand and will fight and will win
Giving up is not in our hearts but justice is in its place
Death will find you Osama and Saddam and all those who carry on in your name
You will die by the ARMY the NAVY the AIR FORCE and MARINES GOD BLESS THEM ALL

So to all those who follow these evil men
Look over your shoulder look under the bed
Because our SPECIAL FORCES will leave YOU DEAD !

A_P

[lwoodham]

Ok, so Saddam doen't want to come out in the desert to play! Then we should move our heavy equipment and troups into the areas surrounding Baghdad, but with a buffer of say 25 miles. Then move no fly zones to within 50 miles of Baghdad in all directions and take out whatever weapons facilities and military infrostucture we can find outside the zone. Very soon, Sadaam might decide that he must come out or risk losing more than he wants. Also we could use the waiting time to try and recruit and organize dissidents outside the zone to assist us.

If he finally does move his heavy stuff out in the open to confront us, our air attack could pound away. The Iraqi Revolutionary Guard, as good as the may be, will be no match for pounding B52's, fuel air bombs, superior tanks/ artillery, and superior fighting forces. Not to mention that we will totally own the sky in all of Iraq, and we will own the night.

If he does not choose to come out then we will win by attrition, by choking the Baghdad zone without necessarily causing hardships on innocents outside the zone. Sadaam's power would ebb away day by day.

Back to reality...

Lol, this is just my idea of a war plan, and probably very naive at that.

[Lazamataz]

Iraq plans to lure US from desert into street fights

They'll be wearing leather and brandishing switchblades. After all, Once you're a Jet you're a Jet....

[Newbomb Turk]

Street fighting will not be necessary. We will surround Bagdad and bomb it incessantly until they bring the bastards head out on a pike.