Latest ABC poll on War Support and M's Commentary

[MMMMMM]

Steady Support for War
Poll: Most Americans Say U.N. Approval Not Needed for Iraq Attack

Analysis
By Gary Langer, ABC News


(excerpt)
March 10 — Public support for war with Iraq is holding steady at about six in 10 Americans, with the public saying by a 26-point margin that U.N. authorization is not necessary for the United States to proceed...

...But while Americans would prefer more international support, most say it's not a condition for war. In this poll, 61 percent say U.N. authorization isn't necessary for the United States to act. That rises to 71 percent if some U.S. allies participate. And in the final analysis, 59 percent support war with Iraq, unchanged in the last week.(end excerpt)

http://abcnews.go.com/sections/us/20...0310_poll.html



M's commentary:

Grassroots America knows what has to be done.

The Axis of Weasels have their billions in contracts with Iraq = economic motivation for arguing against the war. The French also get their jollies by opposing the U.S. on anything and everything.

China can simply be counted on to oppose U.S. interests.

Russia has strong economic incentives to oppose the war.

The pro-communist Stalinist/Maoist organizers of the groups A.N.S.W.E.R., IAC, and NION have dubious motives at best, although many demonstrators are sincere.

Who really cares what Cameroon and Guinea think about this, outside the artificial world of the U.N.

Iraqi exiles, the majority Shi'a population, and the Kurds all favor Saddam's removal, and so does much of the terrified populace in and around Baghdad.


Saddam has ordered and received thousands of U.S. and British uniforms duplicates (mainstream news media, I forget which one) and he will order his soldiers to commit atrocities against Iraqi civilians while wearing these uniforms. He will also order many of his real fighters to fight the US forces while dressed in civilian clothes--all in order to sway public opinion as these slaughters will be captured on video. The credulous Arab public will buy it hook line and sinker when it is broadcast on al-Jazeera, and many Western peaceniks will be gullible enough to swallow it too, despite the fact that Saddam has already received delivery of thousands of US/British military uniforms.

The regular Iraqi Army will surrender faster than the French ever did. Saddam and his inner circle will fight to the end, and possibly some of them will be hanged from streetlamps by mobs of the families and relatives of those they butchered over the years. Needless to say, for Saddam, that would be getting off easy.


The anti-war folks will be "amazed" at the vast quantities of biological and chemical weapons discovered, and at the immense underground militarized labyrinths under Baghdad, at the training camp for al Qaeda hidden near Tikrit, and at the corroborations of the liberated Iraqis themselves. More of Saddam's evil plans will be brought to light. However the anti-war crowd will downplay the importance of all of this and instead focus on American "imperialism."

[MMMMMM]

The Sunday Times - World
March 09, 2003

Iraq tried to order drones and spray kits
Jon Swain

(excerpt)
SADDAM HUSSEIN has been trying to acquire a fleet of 300 drones equipped with spraying devices capable of delivering chemical and biological weapons, it was revealed last week.
Iraqi documents seen by The Sunday Times show orders for kits to make the pilotless planes and for gyroscopes and guidance systems enabling them to be flown at targets from a distance. The documents also contain requests for small spraying devices normally used in agriculture that would be specially adapted for use in the air.

Military experts said the drones could pose a serious threat to British troops fighting a war in Iraq. Baghdad admitted that in 1988 it considered using drones to spray biological weapons, but rejected the idea because the craft it had were too small.

According to the documents, the order for the aircraft was made on behalf of the Ibn Firnas industrial centre in northern Baghdad, which is involved in the development and production of drones.

The material, which has been passed to the United Nations inspectors, also revealed Iraq had been trying to develop a rocket capable of travelling 750 miles — eight times the range permitted by the UN.

Details of the orders emerged as the United Nations declassified a report on Iraq’s prohibited weapons programme. Hans Blix, the chief weapons inspector, said there was “credible information” that Iraq never destroyed 21,000 litres of biological warfare agents, including 10,000 litres of anthrax, stored during the 1990 Gulf war. There was also “credible information” that Iraq had 7,000 litres more biological warfare agents in bombs and warheads than it had declared.(end excerpt)

You'll need to cut and paste the tail of the linked URL if you want to use the link.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/0,,1-604697,00.html

[John Cole]

M,

Just a couple points. Our studies have shown that the geology of Iraq is not conducive to any vast labyrinthian underground network. Perhaps in the aftermath of war, we'll find out. Perhaps in the aftermath of war, we'll find out very little. The Rumsfeld administration has already effectively eliminated the press pool--virtually curtailed in the Gulf War--which would normally report information. "You'll see what we want you to see" is the message. (Time Magazine's defense reporter Mark Thompson, among others, has decried this situation.)

Although it might not be important whether or not we are backed by Guinea or Cameroon, we have continually pointed to the support of 90 UN nations, some of which certainly have the same cachet as Guinea and Cameroon.

If anti-war protestors can be judged from the people here who respond with doubts about the war, I don't see that the theme of "American imperialism" dominates the thinking of those who express their opposition.

Will the world be a better place without Saddam? Yes. Will we make the world a better place in the long run by
removing him? I'm not sure.

John

[MMMMMM]

The existence of an extensive subway system built underneath Baghdad is known, I believe--and this subway system was never used, being instead converted for military purposes. Maybe most of it doesn't go deep enough to interfere with the geological limitations you mention.

Yes, we are trying to do things the "U.N. way", although I like Neal Boortz's suggestion for a statement by Bush (or did Bush actually say this? I don't know):

(excerpt)
"How about this for a statement from Bush:

“Let’s make this as crystal clear as we possibly can. The United States is a sovereign nation, not a political subsidiary of The United Nations. The United States can and will act both diplomatically and militarily as it deems necessary to protect it’s vital interests abroad and the security of its people at home. In these matters the United States sees no paramount role for an international body that would put Iraq and Iran in control of a conference on disarmament, and Libya in control of a commission on human rights.”

On the lighter side, Neal asked this:

"WHEN IS ARI FLEISCHER
Going to resurrect his role as the doorman at that New York hotel in those Crocodile Dundee movies?"
(end excerpt)

www.boortz.com/nealznuz.htm

I can't be absolutely positive we'll make the world a better place by removing Saddam...after all anything can happen...but I think it's extremely likely that we will.