Posted on 09/19/2002 8:46:50 AM PDT by Heartlander2
Saddam is warned: We'd nuke Baghdad
By TREVOR KAVANAGH
AMERICA will NUKE Baghdad if Saddam Hussein dares unleash weapons of mass destruction, it emerged last night.
The chilling warning to Iraq was revealed by former Tory Premier John Major, who led Britain in the 1991 Gulf War.
During that conflict, allied forces were armed with “battlefield” nuclear weapons and prepared to use them in a counter attack, he said.
Saddam was privately warned his capital would be obliterated if he used weapons of mass destruction against allied troops or Middle East targets — including Israel.
And senior security sources last night confirmed Saddam has been warned AGAIN of the consequences if he breaks the ban on using terror weapons.
Mr Major wrote of the Gulf War: “In private, Saddam Hussein received an unmistakable warning about the immediate and catastrophic consequences for Iraq of any such attack on civilians.
“I knew that if he did use these diabolical weapons we would have to escalate our response to bring the war to a speedy and conclusive end before too many of our troops were exposed to them.” Mr Major yesterday supported renewed action but raised questions about the way a cornered Saddam might lash out.
He said: “On this occasion we will specifically be going to war in order to replace the Iraqi regime. Saddam will be gone.
“He will be dead, he will be in prison, or he will be in exile. Would he try to create maximum chaos? Would he seek to use weapons of mass destruction?
“Would he use them on oil fields in the Middle East to create economic chaos? Would he pass them to terrorist groups, would he — perhaps the worst nightmare of all — try to use them on an adjacent capital?
“We can largely protect against that, do not press me on how, we can protect against that.”
Saddam targeted Jerusalem with 39 Scud missiles in 1991 — killing two and injuring hundreds — in an attempt to drag Israel into the fighting.
He had chemical and biological warheads too but chose not to use them in the face of America’s warning.
Yesterday Israeli forces moved Patriot missile launchers — which take out incoming rockets — into position in case Saddam targets them again.
Pressure was building on Iraq as a British ex-UN official warned that sending in weapons inspectors is a “no-win” move because Saddam would hide his arsenal.
Tim Trevan, an expert on biological weapons, said: “I don’t think sending in weapons inspectors is a good idea, but it may be a necessary thing to do because of the political situation.
“We know he had anthrax and botulinum toxin and we know he had nerve gases.
“We never found all his equipment and he’s had four years to build new production facilities underground. The job of finding them would be nigh on impossible.”
Baghdad area is full of history of Man's early history, and I would hate to lose that.
Maybe we could leave a trail of Vigara pills for him to follow leading outside of Baghdad, far enough away, then we can nuke him!
Oh Great. Just what we needed. A hot-head British politician threatening the use of US weapons.
If we invade, he will use WMD's. Trust me, he has nothing to lose.
WWII was a different matter, and since it all happened before my time I can only speak from what I've read.
The great majority of Americans opposed getting into WWII, believing it was not in the country's best interest to once again settle Europe's problems. Had the Japanese not attacked at Pearl Harbor, which attack some believe was not only provoked but predicted, we may have never declared war against Germany and Italy.
Note that we actually declared war in those ancient times, before we accepted UN resolutions as a substitute.
As for bashing Republicans, I reserve the right to bash politicians from any party who think they are above the Supreme Law of the Land, or whose White House Counsel tells them they are. War is a power specifically reserved for the Congress. The fact they have abrogated that power in the past does not excuse the President, whether Johnson, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush I, Clinton or Bush II.
Ooops, forgot Nixon. He's the one whose actions (totally secret, therefore totally illegal) in Cambodia precipitated the War Powers Act which has now been taken to be a blank check for Presidential warmaking.
Nixon, the "conservative" who imposed wage and price controls, took the US off the gold standard, signed into law bills creating the EPA and OSHA, and continued the Great Society programs of his predecessor in addition to the losing war in Viet-Nam. He was some conservative, all right.
That was my first thought. He's probably not far away, though. Communication could be a problem for him when we start jamming everything.
In case you ain't noticed, Sherlock, WE HAVE ALREADY BEEN ATTACKED!
Agreed.
Let's just ensure we kill the real bad guys and don't give the rest of the world, good and bad, an excuse to retaliate against us.
Otherwise, we may find ourselves with few friends and many enemies.
They don't need excuses to retaliate dude... they aren't doing 'retaliate' right now... they are doing preemptives.... Sadaam pays for terror around the world, and within our own nation and those of our allies. PERIOD.
Otherwise, we may find ourselves with few friends and many enemies.
... indeed, that has been our status for the last forty years... why worry about what a bunch of tin horn tyrannies and dictatorships say? SCREW THEM... and wipe them out if THEY are sheltering the bad guys too.
USE the power of hegemony to wipe out the bad guys... we don't have many real friends. Israel, Britain, Turkey, India, Australia (maybe) and very few others.
When we act in accordance with our superiority, and ignore a phoney plea for them to "like us" or "be our friends"... we will find more of them to be "friends" and "supporters." Needy suitors have few potential lovers... neediness is repulsive and weakens our position in the world's pecking order... and let there be no mistake, there has ALWAYS been a world pecking order... UN or not.
I say we need to stay at the top...
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