Re: Saddam Hussein: A Trial of Error?

> It is clear there is reason to have captured Saddam
> 
>   * Bush re-election - indeed his poll ratings jumped 6% overnight

  This doesn't make much sense. From an election standpoint, finding
Saddam next June or July would be much more strategic. It'd also be a
nice way of welcoming in the new government.

>   * international standing - it brings some comfort to those who actually
> believe the US went to Iraq to install "democracy" and it enables the Bush Team
> to point to one positive (out of the overwhelming abundance of negatives) that
> came from the invasion / occupation

  That is true.

>   * Iraqi resistance - there may be some glimmer of hope on the Bush Team that
> some small part of the resistance was loyal to Mr. Hussein and might stop now,
> though I doubt this one

  If there is a real Saddam still out there, and if that Saddam was/is
organizing resistance as it was thought (and indeed, appeared), then
this would accomplish nothing.

>   * WMDs - it provides a nice cover story for "discovering" some WMDs soon,
> etc.).  So when you hear stories it is only rational to review them critically.

  Could be, but you can plant WMD's without a phony Saddam.


> And while you are correct that nothing can be proven 100% true, currently there
> is *no* reliable independent corroboration of Hussein's identity.  (I provided a
> scenario that would work, which was snipped in your reply.)

  I agree independent corroboration would be good -- just so that this
isn't still a debate 40 year from now. But I don't think its likely that
the U.S. government planted him. If they had, a much more believable
story would have had him in a small house somewhere with lots of
communications equipment to organize resistance and going down fighting
or at least being subdued while waving a semi-automatic.

  -Tim

-- 
---------------------------------------------------------------
Timothy R. Butler       Universal Networks      www.uninet.info
==================== <[email protected]> ====================
| Christian Portal:      | Have you not learned great lessons |
|      www.faithtree.com | from those  who  braced themselves |
| GNU/Linux News:        | against  you   and   disputed  the |
|            www.ofb.biz | passage with you?   --Walt Whitman |

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
Version: GnuPG v1.2.1 (GNU/Linux)

iD8DBQA/4MwcK37Cns9gJ0gRArCWAJwNCezKQ2ve4dkV42xRVmrkzpXS/gCcDoGL
cNZ4U8N/9GgYZC8pI74QOZ4=
=7bij
-----END PGP SIGNATURE-----