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Politics : Formerly About Advanced Micro Devices -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: tejek who wrote (160656)	2/12/2003 2:59:31 AM
From: tejek	Respond to of 1575981

The Times Online World News February 12, 2003 America's 48 hours to kill Saddam From Roland Watson in Washington AMERICAN war planners believe that they have little more than 48 hours from the start of a ground war to kill President Saddam Hussein if they are to avoid a protracted conflict and a complicated peace. Haunted by the failure to capture Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan, Washington is putting in place plans to limit the damage if it fails to topple the Iraqi leader swiftly. They rest in part on persuading the Iraqi people that US forces control the country even before Saddam’s demise. The Pentagon is planning to drop emergency food and medical aid from the first day of airstrikes to try to win the “hearts and minds” of locals so that they will support the ensuing invasion. The opening days of the war are planned as a massive air assault aimed at collapsing Saddam’s command structure, followed by a “rush for Baghdad” by ground forces. US special forces and CIA teams are already operating on the ground in Iraq. But if US forces cannot find Saddam or present credible evidence that he is dead, they will face stiffer resistance from the Iraqis. “If people think Saddam is still alive they will be frightened to come out and support us, even if he is powerless,” one US official said. The American failure to get bin Laden “dead or alive”, in Mr Bush’s words, has provided an unsettling background to war planning in Iraq. “Osama bin Laden hangs very heavy over Iraq,” the official said. “We can’t afford another repeat.” There are formidable difficulties in finding Saddam, who has numerous body doubles and rarely sleeps in the same place two nights running, and America is hoping that its massive show of force will prompt a “palace revolt”.

To: tejek who wrote (160656)	2/12/2003 12:00:55 PM
From: Tenchusatsu	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1575981

Ted, <In a sign of growing division, Germany and France kept US in dark over plan to avert war> This is perhaps the clearest sign that France and Germany believe more in playing politics than in peace itself. Otherwise, they'd be keeping America informed, if not involved, on their oh-so-strong plans to "triple inspectors." Plus France and Germany continue to speak as if they are acting on behalf of all Europeans. Clearly they are embracing the European anti-war movement, maybe even using it to their advantage. The more I think about it, the more it stinks. The Jimmy Carter method to peace would have at least been more honest, if not more foolish. Tenchusatsu

To: tejek who wrote (160656)	2/12/2003 12:23:03 PM
From: Tenchusatsu	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1575981

Ted, speaking of France and Germany, you know things are really bad when even the top Democrat in the House International Relations Committee says this: The House committee's top Democrat, Rep. Tom Lantos of California, said in remarks prepared for the hearing that he was "particularly disgusted by the blind intransigence and utter ingratitude" of France, Germany and Belgium, which have blocked a U.S.-backed plan to improve Turkey's defenses against any attack from neighboring Iraq. The three countries, which favor giving U.N. weapons inspectors more time in Iraq, see the plan as making war more likely. "If it were not for the heroic efforts of America's military, France, Germany and Belgium today would be Soviet socialist republics," Lantos said. "The failure of these three states to honor their commitments is beneath contempt." usatoday.com Tenchusatsu