Hi all; USA Today says war delayed (again, LOL):
Buildup shifts Iraq war timing
John Diamond, USA Today, January 12, 2003
U.S. troops being deployed to the Persian Gulf will need until the end of February to be ready for full-scale war against Iraq, according to Defense officials.
The delayed timetable has contributed to the Bush administration's willingness to tolerate extending U.N. weapons inspections beyond a Jan. 27 deadline and into February, U.S. officials said Sunday. But it has not shaken the conclusion of key administration officials that Iraq will have to be disarmed by force.
A senior Defense official said the timing of an invasion to oust Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein had been shifted from mid-February to the end of February or early March, a delay that stems from the complications of moving a huge land, sea and air force.
U.S. commanders would prefer to fight Iraq in the cooler winter months. But the force moving to the Persian Gulf region under three orders signed in the past week by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is prepared to fight in hot weather, a second Defense official said. Average high temperatures in Baghdad don't exceed 90 degrees until May.
...
In approving a force that could reach 250,000 soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines, Bush endorsed the view of his uniformed commanders, who asked for a heavy, highly visible force designed to signal Iraq that swift and overwhelming defeat would result if Saddam continued to defy the international community.
...
usatoday.com
-- Carl |
