- President Bush has rejected the advice of his most senior
military advisers and generals, thought to include Colin Powell, who fear
an all out war would lead to huge number of American causalities.
With the backing of such hawkish advisers as Donald Rumsfeld, the Us President
wants to launch a strike as early as August even though this has been
described by some as ''summer madness.''
White House aides say he has become ''impatient'' with several CIA attempts
to create unrest leading to a revolt and coup within the country.
Although the CIA were told earlier this year to ''eliminate Saddam'' the
head of the Iraqi regime appears stronger than ever.
Bush has now resurrected his belief in a full scale US-led military invasion.
The news has been greeted with horror in London by both politicians and
senior British military advisers.
''If the Americans go in August or September they'll be stuffed because
of the heat. The minimum temperatures are around 40 degrees. 'The Brits
are dead worried. They want to know the justification and at the moment
it looks as though it's purely down to settling an old score for his father,
said a senior Army officer based in Whitehall.
''If there are other important reasons for hitting Iraq now, then we need
to know exactly what they are and he'll have to tell us,'' said a senior
British Army officer based in Whitehall. 'It is doubtful now that Britain
will deploy any troops on such a venture and I can't think of anyone else
who would go in with America at this stage. They'll very much be on their
own,'' the Officer added.
The wisdom of launching a full scale attack on Iraq was raised last month
by senior Pentagon officials while their Commander in Chief was out of
the country on his European tour.
''We thought then, and still do believe now, that the best way to get rid
of Saddam Hussein is to topple him from within. With all respect to the
President, and his advisers including Mr Rumsfeld, they have no military
experience and do not realise that this sort of campaign could cost us
a huge number of casualties,'' a senior US military officer confirmed.
''We were very dismayed when he announced earlier this year that we were
going to strike Iraq. You don't tell the enemy in advance your plans. There
were a few chalk faces in the Pentagon that day,'' he added.
Military expert Paul Beaver echoed similar concerns that ''there would
be horrendous problems with a land invasion and I would foresee vast numbers
of US casualties. It's not quite suicide but it is not the way to do it
either. ''You don't go to war with someone and then tell the whole world
in advance. If he is determined to do this then we will soon start seeing
lots of US military activity and movement in the region.''
Last month Iraq's deputy prime minister Tariq Aziz told me during a rare
interview in his private office, that his country fully expected to be
attacked by America within the next 12 months and the country was braced
for air and land invasions.
However this latest news will come as a shock to the Iraqi regime and its
supporters who believed that Bush had been persuaded too pull back. Such
a military operation would need a minimum of 200,000 US troops and there
were fears in the Pentagon if a war was launched the army could become
''bogged down and embroiled'' in a campaign lasting years.
In recent weeks, the administration has intensified its rhetoric against
Saddam and unveiled a new policy that calls for pre-emptive action against
enemies armed with weapons of mass destruction.
Aides say Bush's resolve has not been weakened by the Middle East crisis,
tension in southeast Asia or the qualms of US allies.
After returning from Europe last month he was furious to discover that
his own generals were lobbying against an Iraqi invasion anytime soon.
"I don't know what they're talking about, two senior US officials
quoted the president as saying.
They interpreted the remark to mean Bush is seriously considering military
action despite opposition.
Bush himself told supporters this week: "When we see evil, I know
it may hurt some people's feelings, it may not be what they call diplomatically
correct, but I'm calling evil for what it is. Evil is evil, and we will
fight it with all our might.
The US President will come under pressure from the international community
to choose diplomatic pressure or covert action to undermine Saddam.
White House observers say Bush has been studying his father's blueprint
to attack Iraq from his term of office in the White House.
Iraq has now insisted it wants all UN sanctions against Baghdad lifted
before an agreement can be reached on allowing weapons inspectors back
into the country.
- psmiths.com 2002© http://www.gordonthomas.ie/132.html
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