Saddam Was Assured Survival
Saddam Hussein refused to order a counterattack against U.S. troops when war erupted in March because he misjudged the initial ground thrust as a ruse and had been convinced earlier by Russian and French contacts that he could avoid or survive a land invasion, former Iraqi deputy prime minister Tariq Aziz has told interrogators, according to U.S. officials.
Aziz, who surrendered to U.S. authorities on April 24, has also said Iraq did not possess stocks of chemical, biological or nuclear weapons on the eve of the war, an assertion that echoes the previously reported statements of other detained Iraqi leaders and scientists. Yet Hussein personally ordered several secret programs to build or buy long-range missiles in defiance of international sanctions, according to Aziz's reported statements.
Get the rest of this story from the Washington Post.
Matt's Chat
One must preface this discussion with the thought of whether or not Aziz's testimony via interrogation can be trusted. But, I do see some merit to the argument that France and Russia may have given Hussein a false sense of security. Their hubris did the coalition a favor by making Hussein think he didn't need to fight to survive. It is an interesting theory. We may never know for sure what really happened because France and Russia sure aren't going to tell us and I highly doubt that Saddam will survive a meeting with US forces.What I find more interesting in this article is the reaching in to Saddam's mind a bit. Arguments between Aziz and Saddam over an interpretation of UN resolutions, for example. Mr. Kay does have his work cut out for him that is for sure. He has a big country to comb through for programs and weapons which may be hidden, transported out of the country, or a figment of Saddam's imagination. (I will admit that there is a possibility that allied intelligence services and analysis could have been dead wrong too, however unlikely.)
Mark's Remarks
It truly is interesting to get inside the mind of a madman, however, I reserve judgment on Azziz's interrogation...This guy is about as bad as Saddam, in terms of lies and such....If there were no weapons of mass distruction, which I am not ready to admit yet, as Azziz is known to be a panderer, then it paints Saddam in an even worse light, willing to risk the lives of his people merely to "save face." Also, he was trying to acquire long range missiles that were banned by the UN under resolution 687, so the "no UN reason to go to war" crowd still is off the mark.
What is most disheartening to me, is the pandering by the Russians and French, if it took place, which I do not doubt....they were working hand in hand to keep this madman in power....and if this is true, they are guilty of providing aid to a supporter and encourager of terrorists, who had terrorist training camps in his country, and who tortured his own people....
Here is an interesting tidbit "American and British interrogators have asked dozens of generals who served in high-ranking command roles in Iraqi army divisions during this year -- some imprisoned, some living freely -- why Hussein did not use chemical weapons to defend Baghdad. A number of these generals have said that they, too, believed chemical weapons would be deployed by Hussein for the capital's defense. Yet none of the officers admitted receiving such weapons himself.
"The only consistent pattern we've gotten -- 100 percent consistent -- is that each commander says, 'My unit didn't have WMD, but the one to my right or left did,' " said the senior U.S. official involved." This shows how strange and maniacal and devious Saddam was...His own generals did not know what was going on...This guy is sounding more and more like Hitler, and as such makes more of a case for his being ousted and us going in.
I think this paints more and more the French, Russian, and German resistance to going into Iraq in a negative light....They were providing guidance to a madman who helped finance terrorists, who praised the 9/11 terrorists, and offered rewards to those who would kill themselves to take out Americans with bombs.....Very disturbing, indeed.....
