"BAGHDAD, Iraq - In an interview with CBS anchor Dan Rather, Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) challenged President Bush (news - web sites) on Monday to an internationally televised debate and indicated he did not intend to follow U.N. orders to destroy his Al-Samoud 2 missiles.
Saddam said he envisioned a live debate with Bush along the lines of those in a U.S. presidential campaign, CBS said on its Web site.
Rather was to report on the comments on the Monday evening newscast, and CBS planned to broadcast the interview in its entirety Wednesday."
Maybe, maybe not…but do you think that even he is delusional enough to think, in the extremely unlikely event that Bush agreed to a debate, that the U.S. would hold its plans in abeyance awaiting the outcome?
Not just no, but HELL NO!! He is a dictator, he is evil and he is a liar. He should not be given equal status to President Bush–Good God!! He tried to kill his father! Sadaam is not to be trusted and should be treated as the war criminal that he is.
No way it is ever going to happen, but I for one would sure love to see it. Although I wouldn’t like to see it as much as I would like to see the duel that Saddam suggested a couple of months ago.
I’m with Jojo… even if it did happen (which it won’t), it wouldn’t solve a damn thing, but it would be entertaining to watch. I figure it would turn into a spittin’ match inside of 30 minutes.
No debate. Saddam is trying everything he can to delay things. I think this is a sign that he is getting very desperate. The only debate we might have with him is over which country he’ll try to seek assylum in if he flies the coop.
On one hand, you have George W. Bush who, like his idol Ronald Reagan, is good at giving rehearsed scripted remarks but pretty shaky when he has to come up with answers on the fly. But on the other hand, Bush is not a dictator, which means that everything he does and/or says is under scrutiny, and he constantly has to defend himself. Saddam Hussein, being a dictator, naturally dosen’t have that problem. His power is secure, and he’s probably never debated anyone (at least not recently). In other words, Bush is battle hardened, while Hussein, who can simply have his opponents executed, may be a little soft. I give Bush the slight edge, although it depends on who moderates the debate.
If nothing more, Saddam (from the interviews, speeches and talks with his advisors that I have seen translated) seems to be relatively articulate and reasonably quick on his feet. Unfortunately, our president is not. It could only mean public embarassment for Bush, (whether his position is right or wrong,) to get involved in a public debate with anyone more verbally adept than your average fifth-grader.
Any thoughts on this subject? Hmmmmm, so many choices…
On a related subject, the linked article says he wants something along the lines of the Presidential debate, so I’d hope it would abe a multi-issue evening. I wonder what he’d have to say about American domestic politics, or a host of other things. It sure would be interesting to hear his perceptions, however wacked-out they might be…
[hijack]
Hey all, meet one of my bestest and oldest friends, MrJones! We grew up about 20 feet away from each other, and I was sitting next to him last month when he registered. Please give him a big, warm, squishy SDMB welcome!
Lissa and Mystic2311, where were you both during the debates between Bush and Gore? The great Gorator was supposed to slice and dice poor George, but guess what? He held his own and even came out on top a couple of times. Give President Bush his due, he has earned it.
