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This article is preposterous. Sadaam will never be in a position of power in which the U.S. would have to "negotiate" peace. The U.S. already has enough military resources in the region to lay waste to any offensive movement that Sadaam might have in mind. And that does not even take into consideration the massive military might of Israel that would likely be drawn into the action as well as the not insignificant military muscle of Turkey. There is simply no chance in hell that Sadaam can "take over" the Middle East and force us to negotiate with him. And if Sadaam does decide to use WMD, it will be the last thing he ever does along with a few million of his people.

"Sadaam will never be in a position of power in which the U.S. would have to "negotiate" peace."

Agreed. However, IMO he's still a dangerous psychopath and needs taking out. I doubt he'll attack Jordan, because Jordan will kick his a$$ back into the 11th century....and they'd hve the aid of the US military which is already in Jordan for "military exercises." Same goes for Israel, and Israel doesn't need US help. They would need us to protect their back from PA thugs and the denizons of Lebanon.

What we know he will do...what he has been doing all along, is to fund and export acts of terrorism which become more brutal as the perpetrators go unpunished. Heck, President Bush didn't wake up one day and say "I'm gonna do what my father didn't do. I'm gonna take out Saddam just because he is there." Saddam's antics were known during the Clinton administration. They just weren't widely reported. In the new world which emerged after 9-11, many of us realized - whether we admit it or not - that regimes such as Saddam's are going to have to go or the rest of the world will regret it.

I believe the "attack to gain negotiation" scenario is plausable for Saddam based on American history. It was the thousands of body bags returning from Vietnam that ended the political will to fight in Vietnam. The US never lost a major battle and could have escalated and easily wiped out North Vietnam, but, as Bernard Fall said:

To win, "the people and the military must emerge on the same side." [Bernard Fall Street Without Joy Stackpole 1961 p.375]

We already are hearing about polls in the US showing the American public's support for attacking Iraq waning based on expected casualties. I heard an interesting comment the other day, to paraphrase - There is no war fervor in the US. Instead, we as a nation are "discussing" the beginnings of a major middle-eastern war with the passion of the pros and cons of a domestic farm bill.