# Desert Storm II - U.S. checkmates Iraq on first move? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [March 20, 2003, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/desert-storm-ii-u-s-checkmates-iraq-on-first-move/162723 "2003-03-20T04:12:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bob55](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Bob55](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bob55)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2003, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/desert-storm-ii-u-s-checkmates-iraq-on-first-move/162723/1 "2003-03-20T04:12:33Z")
[This](http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2003/3/19/224628.shtml) site says > [@](#): > > The U.S. decided that it had a unique opportunity to hit several of these leaders who may have been meeting at a bunker near Baghdad. Saddam Hussein was believed to be present. Rumor is out that the U.S. started the war earlier than planned, possibly due to this information. Is it possible the war could be over on the first shot? Or even if Sadam and his top aides were killed, woud we still have a fight on our hands with steadfast Republican Guard? ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2003, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/desert-storm-ii-u-s-checkmates-iraq-on-first-move/162723/2 "2003-03-20T04:15:49Z")
CNN is confirming that Saddam Hussein was the target. No one knows yet if he was killed. Would it bring down the regime if Saddam were killed? I would think it probably would. But not necessarily, because there are an awful lot of people in that regime who know what will happen to them if they are captured. So they may fight on. It’s hard to say. ---
**Author:** ![Apos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/838e76/32.png) [@Apos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apos)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2003, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/desert-storm-ii-u-s-checkmates-iraq-on-first-move/162723/3 "2003-03-20T04:33:05Z")
—Or even if Sadam and his top aides were killed, woud we still have a fight on our hands with steadfast Republican Guard?— I think we’d probably take many of them out anyway even so. If we want to rebuild the country, the less military leadership still around, the better: even as prisoners. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2003, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/desert-storm-ii-u-s-checkmates-iraq-on-first-move/162723/4 "2003-03-20T06:37:50Z")
I wonder if they actually got Saddam. He appeared on TV tonight after the attack. But it was a strange performance. He started by clearly stating the date, as if he wanted everyone to make sure they knew it wasn’t pre-recorded. Then he read a statement from several notebooks, and didn’t mention the attack on him at all. Now, if we take it as a given that Saddam WOULD have pre-recorded a number of statements that were intentionally post-dated and could be used to air while he was escaping or dead, in order to confuse the U.S., then this is exactly what it would look like, I’d guess. And it seems strange that if the U.S. attacked him and missed that he wouldn’t have at least mentioned that. This is really just wild speculation - I think he’s still alive and kicking. But it’s certainly an interesting and plausible theory. ---
**Author:** ![Apos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/838e76/32.png) [@Apos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apos)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2003, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/desert-storm-ii-u-s-checkmates-iraq-on-first-move/162723/5 "2003-03-20T06:49:29Z")
I agree: it was very suspicious that he didn’t mention the attack. However, we don’t know what intelligence he gets. At the time, he may not even have known that the attack was meant to target him. ---
**Author:** ![London\_Calling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@London\_Calling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/London_Calling)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2003, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/desert-storm-ii-u-s-checkmates-iraq-on-first-move/162723/6 "2003-03-20T06:56:54Z")
Where the hell is that teevee station, then, cos I sure as hell wouldn’t want to be working this shift … _Incoming !!_ Presumably underground, somewhere…It’s going to be a game of cat and mouse, one suspects. ---
**Author:** ![Fugazi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f08c70/32.png) [@Fugazi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fugazi)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2003, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/desert-storm-ii-u-s-checkmates-iraq-on-first-move/162723/7 "2003-03-20T07:20:10Z")
I kinda 1/2 listened to Saddam’s speech (kinda busy at work). The guy on MSNBC said the graphics were “Monty Pythonesk”. I thought that was pretty funny. ---
**Author:** ![Padeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@Padeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padeye)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2003, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/desert-storm-ii-u-s-checkmates-iraq-on-first-move/162723/8 "2003-03-20T13:23:20Z")
I thought the speech was a little flat given the circumstances. The MSNBC commentator did say though that Saddam sounded stresses and that it was unlikely the speech was given by a double. Like OBL we may not know if we got him. FWIW TheLadyDlion said the same thing about the Python/Terry Gilliam graphics. I was waiting for the still photo to start speaking with lips only a la _Clutch Cargo_ or withthe top of the head moving like on _South Park_. Have you seen the surrender leaflets? The images are quick and dirty phoptoshop pasteups that looks just like something from 'I]The Onion\*. ---
**Author:** ![kingpengvin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9dc877/32.png) [@kingpengvin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kingpengvin)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2003, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/desert-storm-ii-u-s-checkmates-iraq-on-first-move/162723/9 "2003-03-20T13:43:51Z")
War ain’t over yet what with Scuds being fired back… Don’t count yer Sadams before their confirmed Dead. ---
**Author:** ![Beagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/85f322/32.png) [@Beagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beagle)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2003, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/desert-storm-ii-u-s-checkmates-iraq-on-first-move/162723/10 "2003-03-20T14:48:48Z")
I like the idea of trying to decapitate the regime (kill the mofo). Try to make it clear, through the symbolism of target selection, that we are out to destroy the regime, not Iraq. Someone is going to have to hit Saddam with a shoe hundreds of times to kill him. He’s like a palmetto bug. ---
**Author:** ![Debaser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3da27b/32.png) [@Debaser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Debaser)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2003, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/desert-storm-ii-u-s-checkmates-iraq-on-first-move/162723/11 "2003-03-20T14:53:26Z")
Wow. A post in GD has 10 posts and nobody has chimed in yet to call GWB a lying, law-breaking, murderer yet. 🙂 The attacks make sense to me. If we are about to launch 2,000 cruise missles (among other things) at Iraq, may as well send 40 of them early if we had a shot at Saddam, or any leadership targets. Even if the odds of success were slight, it’s worth taking the shot. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2003, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/desert-storm-ii-u-s-checkmates-iraq-on-first-move/162723/12 "2003-03-20T15:02:29Z")
GWB is a lying, lawbreaking murderer! :mad: Wouldn’t want to disappoint you, **Debaser**. ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2003, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/desert-storm-ii-u-s-checkmates-iraq-on-first-move/162723/13 "2003-03-20T16:56:20Z")
Excerpt from the speech. [http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/meast/03/20/irq.war.saddam.transcript/index.html](http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/meast/03/20/irq.war.saddam.transcript/index.html) > [@](#): > > God is great, and let the losers lose. He calling Dubya a loser? 😃