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| In the crosshairs | |
Celebrity Iraqi Dictator Saddam Hussein blinked when it looked like the United Nations was going
to petulantly stamp its collective foot if he didn't allow weapons inspectors
back into the country. In fact the final straw was something else. Firstly the Saudis said that they
would allow the US to use their
Saudi air bases to
launch attacks. This would make an attack on Iraq very much easier. Secondly a
senior Al Qaeda operative
captured in Pakistan has
been handed over to the US. This operative might be the 'smoking gun' evidence that the US has been
desperately searching for which links Iraq and Al Qaeda. And while US
interrogation may be less uncomfortable than that of the Pakistani's, it is
probably no less effective in the long run. If he has trained in Iraq, the
US will know. So the best strategy for Iraq is the old 'cheat and retreat' games they played
for the years after the last Gulf War. Can Saddam hide his weapons of mass destruction? It won't be easy, but the
papers were full of rumors about him having a nuke by Christmas. With Saddam
having so few friends, this is just the kind of Christmas present he needs to
cheer him up. Meanwhile the US had set an approximate date for the Invasion of Iraq - January
or February. It will take that long to put the US military juggernaut into
gear. But just after Christmas could be a little late if the nukes
will be ready by then. Just before Christmas might be a better idea. It would
also be a good date for a new Christian crusade - even if (in the case of the
Americans) it is actually a second coming.
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