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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group
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To: Steeny who wrote (87108)3/28/2003 9:36:39 AM
From: carranza2  Read Replies (3) of 281500
 
It is not the Baath resistance that troubles me. It is the reaction of ordinary Iraqis in the south.

The evidence is coming out that the "resistance" may be due, at least in part, to coercion on the part of the fedayeen.

But I do agree with you that the ease and speed of the operation were wrongly imprinted on US public opinion. I vividly recall Cheney being very optimistic at one of the Sunday TV talk shows. Bush tried to dampen the impression that was being made at the last minute, but it was too late.

However, we are clearly not bogged down, as some would have you believe. This is the first week and we're within 50 miles of Baghdad, which is truly remarkable.

The PR mistake was in creating the impression that Saddam's regime would crumble. While he may be an evil toad, Saddam is not a fool. He could not have possibly ruled Iraq for 30 years without creating substantial support from a large part of the population through lots of material incentives. I doubt that he is universally hated, as the PR would have us believe. There is clearly a significant segment of the population that has done well by Saddam, and they'll support him because they know there will be retribution against them when the fight is over.
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