BLAIR AND BUSH TO GIVE SADDAM JUST 48 HOURS TO LEAVE IRAQ...

Drudge ^

[RedhairRedhair]

DEVELOPING...

[Go Gordon]

I suspect we'll need to have our ground forces moving as soon as the bombing starts to get to the oil fields before Saddam torches them.

We'll also need the ground forces there to process all the Iraqi's that will be surrendering (the outer ring of conscripts, not the ones defending Bagdad). Seriously, I don't think we're going to let loose with the B-52's like we did before, because all we would end up doing is killing alot of soldiers that really just want to go home and take Saddam out themselves.

[Peach]

Good catch; hope we aren't waiting too long. Some of our troops have been over there a while and are getting tired of waiting and there's a military term for that, which I've forgotten. Anyway, very good catch.

[txradioguy]

well let's just hope the Snake Eaters in the Kurdish controlled north come right behind the Iraqi's and defuse the bombs.

[FollowingTheGrace]

You keep asking why we don't use the "not a pre-emptive attack argument". The reason it isn't used is it doesn't hold water. AQ attacked the WTC, not Iraq...

AQ has nothing to do with it. Saddam surrendered (in '91) and agreed to certain terms. We agreed to CEASE FIRE in return. He has violated all those terms. Thus, cease fire no longer holds. This will be a continuation of hostilities, not pre-emptive.

[Dec31,1999]

It had better start next week. The UN needs the pressure or it will fall apart. Our troops are ready to move and anxious and unless we don't have everything in place, there's nothing to be gained by waiting.

Carry a big stick, but walk softly.

[cake_crumb]

"I do not think it is possible for any one from the five nation Security Council to be Sec. Gen. I think they would have to change the charter"

Really? Well, if there's a way, he'll find it. Even if he has to buy a house in Iraq.

[Myrddin]

Yeah - George Herbert Bush used to pronounce it "Sad am".

Actually he pronounced it "Saddum" which is reported to mean "shoeshine boy". The "Saddam" pronunciation denotes someone "powerful and respected". Bush did it as a put down.

[Peach]

Carry a big stick, but walk softly.

You're probably right. I just don't like seeing the UN box us in and I don't want our troops getting desensitized (or whatever the military term is) and having the weather get too hot. But, you are correct and I'm sure President Bush will do whatever is right, even if it means giving the useless UN more time to try and figure out how to do the right thing.

[Peach]

I knew it was a put down but didn't remember what it meant. Good for him. 'Night, all.

[woodyinscc]

I think they are there right now,

and ready to do just that

[Future Useless Eater]

Peach, the attack will depend on the moon..nothing can or should happen until between Feb 27 and March 6th when Iraq is totally dark.

Well.... not exactly true. There is still time, even IF you stick to your belief that the moon makes a difference. ...See the calendar to the right. Its dates are off by 4, so tomorrow (Sunday Feb 9th) will be like the (Sunday '13') shown on that calendar.

The moon will be at HALF tomorrow night (called '1st Quarter'), but that also means there will STILL be half the nighttime hours where the moon is behind the earth. So it will be totally pitch black for about 6 hours from roughly midnight to sunrise!

Monday evening, the moon will be slightly more than half, so the total-blackout period will be shorter, but we'll still have 5 hours of NO-MOON at all.

After 2 nights of bombing, the Moon won't matter anymore, assuming it mattered in the first place.

Note - The times below might seem wierd because Baghdad is not centered within its timezone, (and the evening of Feb 09 is same as the morning of Feb 10). Baghdad MoonSet/Sunrise times will be as follows:

  Eve/Morning  MoonSet...  SunRise    Pitch-Darkess
    Feb 08/09   1:12am      7:53am    6hrs 39min   
Sun Feb 09/10   2:08am      7:52am    5hrs 46m     
Mon Feb 10/11   3:06am      7:51am    4hrs 45m     
Tue Feb 11/12   4:05am      7:50am    3hrs 45m     
Wed Feb 12/13   5:04am      7:49am    2hrs 45m     
Thu Feb 13/14   5:59am      7:48am    1hr  49m     

  Eve/Morning  SunSet...  MoonRise    Pitch-Darkness
Fri Feb 21/22   6:52pm     11:57pm    5hrs 05min    
Sat Feb 22/23   6:53pm      1:06am    6hrs 13m      
Sun Feb 23/24   6:54pm      2:15am    7hrs 21m      
Mon Feb 24/25   6:55pm      3:22am    8hrs 27m      
Tue Feb 25/26   6:55pm      4:24am    9hrs 12m      
Wed Feb 26/27   6:56pm      5:20am   10hrs 11m      
Thu Feb 27/28   6:57pm      6:08am   11hrs 10m      
Fri Feb 28/01   6:58pm      7:31am   total blackout 

I also like the rest of your guy's theories... Soften 'em up for a while with cruise missles.

[cake_crumb]

"We agreed to CEASE FIRE in return. He has violated all those terms."

He sure did. How many times have his troops shot at allied planes patrolling the no fly zones??

[woodyinscc]

" Really? Well, if there's a way, he'll find it. Even if he has to buy a house in Iraq."

I think you got that right!!!!

[Dec31,1999]

I have big time respect for Blair. He could have taken the easy way and sided with the anti-American leftists in his party. But instead Blair took a principal position which he is taking lots of heat for. And he is not backing down.

Very well said. He quite clearly senses the danger and is alerting us to it.

[Dog Gone]

US and Britain give Saddam just 48 hours to leave Iraq
By Julian Coman in Washington and Colin Brown
(Filed: 09/02/2003)

Britain and America are drawing up plans to give Saddam Hussein as little as 48 hours to flee Baghdad or face war, if UN weapons inspectors report this week that the Iraqi dictator is still refusing to disarm fully.

The proposals will form the framework of a long-awaited second resolution, which could be put before the Security Council by next weekend.

The deadline would be just long enough for Arab neighbours to make a last effort to persuade Saddam to leave the country, according to US officials, or for a coup to take place. The shortest timeframe to emerge from private diplomatic discussions has been two days.

The phrasing of the new, deliberately concise UN resolution would deny Saddam a fresh chance to say that he will comply with Security Council demands. Britain will put forward the resolution because Washington "does not want to be seen to need it", according to a senior Security Council diplomat.

Foreign Office officials confirmed that Saudi Arabia has offered to take Saddam if he goes into exile. Last month Donald Rumsfeld, the US defence secretary, said he would be "delighted" if Saddam fled Iraq.

"To avoid a war, I would personally recommend that some provision be made so that the senior leadership and their families could be provided haven in some other country," he said.

To be passed, the new resolution would require the support of nine of the 15 Security Council members, assuming there was no veto from France, China or Russia. British and American officials last night made clear that they do not expect a unanimous vote in its favour but are confident that a veto can be avoided.

"The resolution being discussed would declare that Saddam is in material breach of UN resolutions, which authorises the use of all necessary means to disarm him," one senior Security Council diplomat said.

America and Britain are, however, determined to avoid a second resolution which would enable Saddam further to delay disarmament. "The last thing they want is a decision which just starts the process towards another decision," said the diplomat.

[PhiKapMom]

It is generally assumed that the best time to attack is during darkness and the new moon cycle. Our F-117's are now in Qatar so am not sure that they will not attack at anytime. F-117's don't need darkness.

Note: The Stealth Fighters and Bombers are almost undetected by enemy radar unless they have advanced radar systems. Depending on what the Iraqi's have been sold, would determine if the Stealth shows up as low profile or not hardly at all. During the war in Kosovo, one of the English spokesman said that you could not see them but that is not true. You can see them during the day as they fly but at night they are black and have a very low profile signal 24 hours a day!

[Dec31,1999]

Challenge the UN to do the dirty work. Call their bluff.

[hchutch]

An excellent take on the situation.

[Doc On The Bay]

---during "Prime Time TV....."

Sorry, The Bushies are WAY Smarter than those Fools trying to "second guess" our impending Destruction of "Wahabbi Islam!"

Mecca, Medina, Qom, etc., continue to exist ONLY because us "JudeoChristians" continue to be Tolerant of ALL "Religions!"

"Wahabbi Islam" will soon join it's philosophical twin--Naziism, as Quasi-Religions created to enslave the ignorant. Both "religions" are EVIL, & WILL BE DESTROYED!!

I hope!

Doc

[Sparta]

Saddam should not be allowed to leave this easily. He needs to leave feet first and at room temperature.