Article

2003-03-04 Iraq

Archived material is restricted to Rantburg regulars and members. If you need access email fred.pruitt=at=gmail.com with your nick to be added to the members list. There is no charge to join Rantburg as a member.

Posted by Steve White 2003-03-04 12:20 pm|| E-Mail|| Front Page|| [11135 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 How long does it take to destroy 100 missiles?

Wonderful. Could it have been done in November?

Posted by carl 2003-03-04 00:30:12|| [kcviews.blogspot.com/] 2003-03-04 00:30:12|| Front Page Top

#2 The longer we wait, the more opportunities for other "allies" to get cold feet, the closer Saddam is to a working nuke, the closer North Korea is to reprocessing their plutonium (we need to be done with Saddam before that crisis comes to a head). Not to mention the jittery won't-move-till-we-win economy.

Let's roll.

Posted by someone 2003-03-04 01:45:48|| 2003-03-04 01:45:48|| Front Page Top

#3 I predict there will be no new motion by the Turkish government until March 10, after that US troops stationing will with high probability allowed.

Posted by Murat 2003-03-04 04:20:23|| 2003-03-04 04:20:23|| Front Page Top

#4 The desert has to be taken before summer begins, every one knows that. But that is where there is least amount of resistance. That part shouldn't take more than a month. The real deal is Baghdad: hard to know what the mil planners have in mind. But there's still some time available.
My guess is that March madness will be a time for the yappa yappa BS at the UN, s'more diplo manoeuvring, more pleasantries exchanged, but by April everything will be in place. Then it's a go.

Posted by RW 2003-03-04 05:29:54|| 2003-03-04 05:29:54|| Front Page Top

#5 RW - I don't think the real part or deal is Bagdad neither, the real challange would be to secure the oilwels before they have been set ablaze, the US planners are not that dumb, they'll use Shia and kurd forces to do the street battles.

Posted by Murat 2003-03-04 06:35:24|| 2003-03-04 06:35:24|| Front Page Top

#6 I'm glad they are stepping back and taking a deep breath. The planners relied too heavily, too long on the Turks. Somebody should have given plan B a dress rehersal two weeks ago - or maybe they did and she wasn't ready for prime time. Now they can put the A team on plan B and make it plan A. heh heh... sorry!

Posted by becky 2003-03-04 07:05:53|| 2003-03-04 07:05:53|| Front Page Top

#7 The main advantage of an invasion from Turkey is that it gives the best chance of capturing territory before Saddam can damage infrastructure or set off chem/bio weapons. If Turkey is out, the biggest potential losers/victims are civilians in N. Iraq. Is saving those lives and infrastructure worth playing another round in the Turkish legislature? Probably.

Posted by mhw 2003-03-04 07:30:58|| 2003-03-04 07:30:58|| Front Page Top

#8 The main advantage of an invasion from Turkey is that it gives the best chance of capturing territory before Saddam can damage infrastructure or set off chem/bio weapons. If Turkey is out, the biggest potential losers/victims are civilians in N. Iraq. Is saving those lives and infrastructure worth playing another round in the Turkish legislature? Probably.

Posted by mhw 2003-03-04 07:30:58|| 2003-03-04 07:30:58|| Front Page Top

#9 As Murat notes there may be a new vote next week but does the US wait for this vote or change it's plan now? What if the vote is a no again - the US will have wasted another week.
To Becky's point it does seem odd that the military/political powers weren't prepared for a no vote by Turkey.
I'm no warmonger but let's get rolling already. Delay is only causing more obstacles/problems. My hope is that a) we really don't know what the military is planning, and b) the large buildup and slow pace mean that not just Iraq will be dealt with.

Posted by AWW 2003-03-04 08:08:10|| 2003-03-04 08:08:10|| Front Page Top

#10 AWW, I think the planners will risk another voting, I read some articles of retired generals who are stating they would pull out their hair with losing Turkey as a logistic base. The one way or another I think there will be created a compromise ensuring a Turkish vote on this matter at the end of the tug-of-war.

Posted by Murat 2003-03-04 08:42:47|| 2003-03-04 08:42:47|| Front Page Top

#11 Murat, you are at least half right. For the US/UK strategic plan to succeed, two things *must* be (militarily) obtained:

1) Control over the oil fields. If the fields are set ablaze then "control" cannot be gained until the fires are extinguished and the equipment restored, which sets back all future plans;

2) Saddam's head, whether attached to the rest of him or not.

Posted by jrosevear 2003-03-04 08:57:36|| 2003-03-04 08:57:36|| Front Page Top

#12 It fascinates me how many people assume that: (1) the Pentagon doesn't have Plan B worked out, (2) the troops and equipment waiting on ships off Turkey are necessary to commence the hostilities, (3) there is no disinformation flying around from our side, (4) GWB is really hanging on the UNSC vote, (5) the war couldn't start tonight, and (6) I give a sh*t what Martin Sheen or Harry Bellafonte think about ANYTHING.

In the last four days the B-2s and B-52s have left the U.S. and the Patriot missiles have been taken out from under wraps in Israel. Yeah, we're going to wait another month. Right.

Posted by Tom 2003-03-04 15:38:14|| 2003-03-04 15:38:14|| Front Page Top

#13 Another 10 billions may help. Should be cheaper than Plan B

Posted by True German Ally 2003-03-04 15:40:58|| 2003-03-04 15:40:58|| Front Page Top

#14 Ah, the Turks.

Posted by someone 2003-03-04 15:56:18|| 2003-03-04 15:56:18|| Front Page Top

#15 Obviously you never haggled over a carpet in a Turkish bazaar.
When the negotiations seem to fail the client pretends to walk out and the dealer will run after him and drag him back into the store to finalize the deal.

Posted by True German Ally 2003-03-04 16:24:09|| 2003-03-04 16:24:09|| Front Page Top

#16 One of the big arguments used against further inspection was that 100 guys could not find anything in a place the size of Califonia. Well, we got 250000 guys sitting on the border of this California sized place. Should be able to put them wherever we want without much trouble. Like 250000 guys driving from Kuwait to Basra to Bagdad would be sort of a major traffic jam. So I guess we'll start by spreading them around to the north and south and all over in a hurry. We are talking about California here, a little more square geographically and without Disneyworld.

Posted by john 2003-03-04 21:40:58|| 2003-03-04 21:40:58|| Front Page Top

17:09 NightSurfer
08:33 raptor
08:02 raptor
07:59 raptor
07:45 raptor
00:17 Jeremy
00:05 Steve White
00:04 Anonymous
23:59 Steve White
23:57 Anonymous
22:50 JAB
22:29 Fred
22:07 tu3031
22:06 john
22:01 Patrick Phillips
21:58 john
21:57 tu3031
21:56 seafarious
21:45 tu3031
21:40 john
21:22 john
21:16 badanov
21:09 john
21:06 Frank G
Merry-Go-Blog