# What if Saddam Hussein suddenly keeled over? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 1, 2003, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-saddam-hussein-suddenly-keeled-over/152045 "2003-02-01T04:30:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2003, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-saddam-hussein-suddenly-keeled-over/152045/1 "2003-02-01T04:30:24Z")
What if the jerk suddenly had a massive heart attack. How would that affect the impending war? ---
**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:** [February 1, 2003, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-saddam-hussein-suddenly-keeled-over/152045/2 "2003-02-01T04:41:58Z")
Well, are you postulating “had a heart attack and died”, or just “had a heart attack”? If he had a heart attack and died, I’d guess that the impending war would have to be canceled. Too bad, all those party balloons and Scooby Doo plates and napkins, totally wasted… 😃 ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2003, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-saddam-hussein-suddenly-keeled-over/152045/3 "2003-02-01T04:41:59Z")
That depends entirely on what sort of infighting would occur within the Ba’ath party and who would succeed him. Iraq has no provision for an orderly transfer of power, so we cannot be _certain_ who would win. If the successor felt that thumbing his nose at the rest of the world was not a good idea (and had the strength to maintain power), Iraq would probably accede to the demands for disarmament. If the successor was the same sort of megalomaniac as Hussein, it would then depend on whether he wanted to try to continue Hussein’s bluff or whether he might just decide to start a war on his own. When the suggestion is made that Hussein accept exile, it is not all that clear that his successor will be an improvement. ---
**Author:** ![Zagadka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zagadka/32/7272_2.png) [@Zagadka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zagadka)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2003, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-saddam-hussein-suddenly-keeled-over/152045/4 "2003-02-01T04:48:16Z")
I wouldn’t be surprised if the US “lended aid” to “the democratic opposition” in “assuring a stable and peaceful government transition” with or without Saddam, likely with the motivation that an equally radical leader (or family member) was taking his place. ---
**Author:** ![Zagadka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zagadka/32/7272_2.png) [@Zagadka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zagadka)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2003, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-saddam-hussein-suddenly-keeled-over/152045/5 "2003-02-01T04:50:02Z")
Only “lended” isn’t a word. “Lent” is, though. Don’t mind me, just passing through. :wally ---
**Author:** ![Wumpus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8c91f0/32.png) [@Wumpus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wumpus)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2003, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-saddam-hussein-suddenly-keeled-over/152045/6 "2003-02-01T05:11:25Z")
It was … the salmon mousse! I’m sorry, I’ll be quiet now. ---
**Author:** ![Master\_Wang-Ka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/master_wang-ka/32/3325_2.png) [@Master\_Wang-Ka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Master_Wang-Ka)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2003, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-saddam-hussein-suddenly-keeled-over/152045/7 "2003-02-01T05:13:54Z")
We’d invade. We’d invade like bad dogs. Come on, Bush has been building up to this for MONTHS now. He wants it so bad he can TASTE it. You think he’d let a little thing like dead Saddam stop him? It’d be like cancelling Christmas for the man… ---
**Author:** ![eenerms](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cdc98d/32.png) [@eenerms](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eenerms)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2003, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-saddam-hussein-suddenly-keeled-over/152045/8 "2003-02-01T05:14:25Z")
Uday, Saddam’s son is worse than his father by all accounts. Don’t want him in either. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2003, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-saddam-hussein-suddenly-keeled-over/152045/9 "2003-02-01T05:21:58Z")
> [@](#): > > What if the jerk suddenly had a massive heart attack. Dibs on his wallet ! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Sqube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aca169/32.png) [@Sqube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sqube)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2003, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-saddam-hussein-suddenly-keeled-over/152045/10 "2003-02-01T05:40:17Z")
If Saddam died, uh… I think we’d kinda have to stop with the war. If we kept going with it, we’d lose what little support we had in the rest of the world… ---
**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:** [February 1, 2003, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-saddam-hussein-suddenly-keeled-over/152045/11 "2003-02-01T07:11:39Z")
No you wouldn’t. Saddam’s sons Uday and Qusay are both far worse than Saddam. For example, Saddam had to punish Uday by sending him to Switzerland in exile after Uday had the nerve to get drunk and kill one of Saddam’s buddies. Both of them are reportedly highly unstable and vicious. There’s no way the U.S. would allow either one to stay in power for more than hours. ---
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2003, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-saddam-hussein-suddenly-keeled-over/152045/12 "2003-02-01T07:17:23Z")
I somehow doubt that the military would allow Uday and Qusay to remain in power for long. When the US attacks Saddam’s generals will be all too aware of what happened to their predecessors the last time the Iraqi army was overwhelmed, with any luck that might inform their thinking. ---
**Author:** ![Zagadka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zagadka/32/7272_2.png) [@Zagadka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zagadka)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2003, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-saddam-hussein-suddenly-keeled-over/152045/13 "2003-02-01T07:26:55Z")
Now that I think about it, if Saddam keeled over suddenly (or better yet, was assassinated), the US would dig it. I would throw the whole debate out the window and reduce it to an immediate action to safeguard the stability of the region/prevent radical terrorists from taking over and using the weapons Iraq is allegedly hiding. Bush wouldn’t even blink to act - it would be declared an emergency situation, and before anyone could say or do anything, Iraq’s airspace would be filled with Americans strapped into big pieces of metal. ---
**Author:** ![Zagadka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zagadka/32/7272_2.png) [@Zagadka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zagadka)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2003, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-saddam-hussein-suddenly-keeled-over/152045/14 "2003-02-01T07:43:35Z")
- I would throw the whole debate out = “It would”