# Should Saddam Hussein be taken out? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [March 9, 2003, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-saddam-hussein-be-taken-out/160121 "2003-03-09T19:52:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![samarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4da419/32.png) [@samarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samarm)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2003, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-saddam-hussein-be-taken-out/160121/1 "2003-03-09T19:52:35Z")
I’m thinking about the whole situation in Iraq, and something occured to me. If special forces from the US or UK were to assasinate Saddam Hussein, then he would no longer be a threat. We could move in and take control of government quite easily, as the army and people would probably be pleased that he’s gone. We can then look for these weapons of mass destruction that he supposedly has hidden somewhere. I hope to god that we find some, otherwise we’ll look very silly in front of France et al. The next step would be to enforce a complete regime change. This will presumably involve a long stay in Bagdhad, to ensure that things are run properly for a while. Job done. Go home. Too simple? Do you think taking out Saddam is a mission objective? Do you think it’s better to bomb the crap out of Bagdhad, and maybe take him out if we’re lucky? ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2003, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-saddam-hussein-be-taken-out/160121/2 "2003-03-09T19:57:23Z")
Simple, yes - but if it were _easy_, it’d have happened already, don’tcha think? Offing Saddam is, after all, Bush’s primary (and only serious) objective. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Calculus\_of\_Logic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/aeb1de/32.png) [@The\_Calculus\_of\_Logic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Calculus_of_Logic)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2003, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-saddam-hussein-be-taken-out/160121/3 "2003-03-09T20:07:49Z")
Saddam rarely appears in public, usually it is a body double you see on TV. Even if he were assassinated, someone else would take over. Probably one of his sons. I remember listening to someone from another message board talk about a friend he has who was an ex-Delta force soldier (so he said, at least). He said teams went into Iraq to kill Hussein but couldn’t find him due to all the body doubles. ---
**Author:** ![FIREMAN44](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/4af34b/32.png) [@FIREMAN44](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FIREMAN44)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2003, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-saddam-hussein-be-taken-out/160121/4 "2003-03-09T20:35:41Z")
Sadaam, his sons and his close circle of advisors are one of the top objectives, but bombing the crap out of Bagdhad is not. We will need to, with the help of some key Iraqis, keep food, water and electricity flowing to the Iraqi people, so destroying those key sites would not help us along. ---
**Author:** ![FIREMAN44](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/4af34b/32.png) [@FIREMAN44](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FIREMAN44)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2003, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-saddam-hussein-be-taken-out/160121/5 "2003-03-09T20:36:07Z")
Sadaam, his sons and his close circle of advisors are some of the top objectives, but bombing the crap out of Bagdhad is not. We will need to, with the help of some key Iraqis, keep food, water and electricity flowing to the Iraqi people, so destroying those key sites would not help us along. ---
**Author:** ![samarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4da419/32.png) [@samarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samarm)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2003, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-saddam-hussein-be-taken-out/160121/6 "2003-03-09T21:00:09Z")
The thing is, I got the impression that the people are unhappy with Saddam. They want a change in leader but there’s nothing they can do to get rid of him. I also thought that most of his aides and ministers were afraid of him, and would like him to go. I’ve heard stories about some of his people in government disappearing. My point is, isn’t Saddam the weak point in the whole Iraq crisis? My theory is, if you take out Saddam, the whole house of cards would come down. Just a theory. ---
**Author:** ![FIREMAN44](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/4af34b/32.png) [@FIREMAN44](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FIREMAN44)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2003, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-saddam-hussein-be-taken-out/160121/7 "2003-03-09T21:13:02Z")
They are not only afraid of him, they are VERY, VERY AFRAID of him and his sons. It was said that he was the one who tried to have his oldest son killed because he was afraid of the power he was building up–that’s pretty ruthless. Plus, only his inner circle, who in all likelyhood will be tried for war crimes if captured, can get close enough to him to assassinate him, so keeping him alive keeps them alive. My guess. ---
**Author:** ![Urban\_Ranger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Urban\_Ranger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urban_Ranger)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2003, 8:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-saddam-hussein-be-taken-out/160121/8 "2003-03-10T08:53:24Z")
Yes, Saddam should go. No, he should not be removed by assassination attempts or military actions. ---
**Author:** ![Brutus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Brutus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brutus)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2003, 8:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-saddam-hussein-be-taken-out/160121/9 "2003-03-10T08:55:48Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Urban Ranger \* > \*\*Yes, Saddam should go. > > No, he should not be removed by assassination attempts or military actions. \*\* What is your suggestion, then? Direct some fierce thoughts his way? Bombard him with bad karma? Do tell! ---
**Author:** ![samarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4da419/32.png) [@samarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samarm)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2003, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-saddam-hussein-be-taken-out/160121/10 "2003-03-10T10:30:52Z")
When I say “taken out” I mean killed. I think what **Urban Ranger** is talking about is removing Saddam from power, and replacing him with someone else. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2003, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-saddam-hussein-be-taken-out/160121/11 "2003-03-10T14:43:28Z")
Should he be taken out? Yeah. For dinner and a movie. On a planet far, far away. I prefer exile to extermination. ---
**Author:** ![vanilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f19dbf/32.png) [@vanilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vanilla)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2003, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-saddam-hussein-be-taken-out/160121/12 "2003-03-10T14:48:41Z")
How long did the U.S. try to “take out” Castro? They couldn’t do _that_ , I suspect Hussein would be much more difficult.