REUTERS, FOX- 4-6 day pause in advance

[rainstorm]

ridiculous. i know they will say it is to be resupplied, but i fear they are negotiating with saddam for a free pass. if they were really afraid of a chemical/bio attack they would not be sitting in place. if they are negotiating with saddam it is a crime!!!

[vbhoutex]

Oh Rainstorm, where do you come up with this? There is NO WAY that a free pass would be granted to Saddam(who I think is either not alive or severely wounded) anymore than a free pass would be given to Ossama Bin Laden!!!! All of our troops are in Bio/Chem protective suits 24/7 and have been trained to deal with said attacks.

US MILITARY COMMANDERS HAVE ORDERED A 4-6 DAY PAUSE OF FORWARD ADVANCE TOWARDS BAGHDAD. Apparently there is a need to wait for supplies and more personell to get into the field. Bombing is continuing at a brisk pace. Baghdad hit again within the last 10 minutes and B-52's are in the air again/still!!! This doesn't mean no more fighting for that time, but maybe some troops can rest a little. Obviously there are still Iraqi troops hidden that need to be rooted out.

The above is what I posted at almost the same time, so I combined the two threads.

[rainstorm]

i heard on fox last night they would have a cease fire to allow saddam to leave. is this a secret deal?
after he executed our pow's?

[vbhoutex]

i heard on fox last night they would have a cease fire to allow saddam to leave. is this a secret deal?
after he executed our pow's?

I was listening to Fox till after 2am last night and didn't hear that. Doesn't mean it wasn't said though. As much as I despise Saddam and his cronies I would welcome a Cease Fire to save the lives of our trrops. You can be guaranteed that the US will not settle for allowing Saddam to leave(if he is alive). They will not settle for any thing less than him being tried as a war crimanal, which is by far the nicest thing he could be called.

[rainstorm]

this is bunk. the germans in ww2 launched an invasion of russia with 3 million troops and did not have a 4-6 day pause in the attack for almost a month, and their attack was along a 1000 mile front with 3 million troops. we are talking about 90,000 troops here along a very narrow front. i have to conclude this is very poor planning. one thing, this could be disinformation for an immediate attack.

[Steve H.]

If they are indeed negotiating this would be bad. I agree that the battle of Baghdad will be ugly, but we will also have failed in our mission if we negotiate, and this will be a victory for Saddam. This may also be inaccurate reporting. The worst thing our soldiers can do is sit there and wait and wonder. Again like the field goal kicker having three timeouts called before he boots it. Bad for morale and bad for our posture. Will give Saddam and his troops a boost, and time to really dig in. Saddam must go....maybe we can locate him and pick him off. The other thing that smells with this whole thing is the Syrian border. In the long run we may have more to fear from Iran than Iraq. And their troops can make a move to the border in fairly short order. Again, hope the report is false. 'nite all!

[sunny shine]

We are taking this pause to let our soldiers catch up with the other soldiers. We will need them to totally surround Baghdad.

Rainstorm you need to get over that free pass hoopla. It will not happen.

[JetMaxx]

Maybe they are learning from their mistakes...

IMO we went about this wrong to begin with. Desert Storm was a rout PRIMARILY because we bombed the living daylights out of the Iraqi forces for over three weeks before the tanks began to roll; and I mean BOMBED them...as in carpet bombed with B-52's day after day.

There were Iraqi soldiers that hadn't slept in almost a month, many with ruptured eardrums from the carpet bombing. Maybe someone finally had the sense to realize the same thing can be done to those Republican Guard divisions just south of Baghdad...all the while we unload the 4th mechanized infrantry and get it up into Iraq to assist, and wipe those paramilitary punks off the map that keep ambushing the supply line.

If any soldiers try to make a run to Iraq and Syria....obliterate them from the air. It's not that difficult...as we saw during Desert Storm. Take out the lead vehicles on a highway--block the road and send them all to hell!!

I've thought from the beginning we didn't use enough air power to soften them up.....maybe they've finally realized it too.

--------
Perry

[vbhoutex]

Also as I stated earlier, we have not stopped bombing either. In fact they are bombing the hell our of Baghdad today(their time)! At least two attacks there in the last 30 mins.!!

One thing I do hate about this is how the media is hyping it up and trying to second guess our military commanders who are trained to wage war, which our media is not!! Stop the hype and take it at face value!!!

[Guest]

I very seriously doubt we will give Saddam a free pass. What is happening is our forces close to bagdad is getting a well deserved break while they get needed supplies and our troops up north head too meet the ones we have near Bagdad plus the British im sure will be securing the south so we can get the supplies and troops needed up north towards Bagdad.
Either way the bombs will continue to drop on Saddams forces and his other intrest as well.
And i doubt Syria will continue doing thier dirty deeds as well. They dont want us going after them next! I am suprised that Iran hasent tried anything more seeing how i think they could be probably next on our hit list (Axis of evil nation) and i very seriously doubt they want another Democracy on thier boarders which they will have after we are done in Iraq!

[Arizwx]

First of all Rainband,we don't negotiate with terrorists...and Saddam is a first class representative of that ilk.
Secondly,why the absurd comparison to Hitler's utter failure to invade Russia?Is that what you consider a positive Military outcome?It was lunacy,and the Nazis paid dearly for it.Why you would recommend we follow such a lead is ludicrous.
Third.I agree with Perry.I do not,as one who has been there,done that understand the half measured squeeze play that has failed thus far.Put 20K troops 50 miles outside of Baghdad,and we think Saddam's regime folds?I think not.He is not phased by our presence at all.And yes,I do believe he is in charge,functioning as a Military leader in my opinion.There is C&C however strange the means,it exists.The reasonn he isn't phased?He knows that we are playing Politics to the World Stage.It must be obvious that he has figured out the US is not going to go the route that Perry outlined aptly,we are trying to make 'nice' with the 20% of the citizenry of Baghdad.20% of 5million =1Million still in place.If 10% are combatants,that is still 100K..paramilitary plus at least 50% of 140,000 Republican Guard.They have 3 Divisions of Tanks,to our 2 within the Baghdad region.
We may own 95% of the Airspace and 2/3 of the Country,which I believe is a real stretch,if one considers the continuing problems on Basrah and the Kurds holding the North with our Paratrooper Light Infantry.That's pretty thin.
This is no cakewalk,and certainly not 1991.Twelve years of sanctions and propoganda along with increased Al Quaeda activities in N Iraq have solidified at least a portion of Iraq...nationalism is alive and well significant pockets of Iraq.They consider us Criminal Invaders..'Sick Dogs'.
It may indeed be necessary to tweek the gameplan..or go to Plan B if the current surgical air strikes fail to bring these thugs to thier knees.
A protracted long campaign is exactly what we cannot have.Our window of opportunity may be closing in the next 30 days,given the Wx concerns as well,with extreme heat expected.Yes,we can and will function in such conditions,however they are not optimal.
I posted the other night with regard to Iraqi Missile attacks against Kuwait,the SUN 4 systems defeating our Patriots.It happened,and the Kuwatiis were very fortunate to have not sustained fatalities or major damage.Had the Missile been 200 yrs closer,the outcome could have been disasterous.If Bio/Chem had been fitted within the massive warhead,it would have been a catastrophe.They are obviously in concert with C&C.
Our speed to Baghdad was impressive,no doubt.However,we outran our own supply lines in doing so..and the unexpected resistance and sandstorm threw a major league curve ball into the mix.If this is hurry up and wait,we may be in for a long wait.We are in a difficult position,not extrordinary..and certainly managable if we have the flexibilty to go to Plan B if need be.Time is of the essence,windows of oppotunity crucial.We cannot afford to waste either.
Again,this is only my opinion,and certainly I have the utmost respect for our Military Command.

[sunny shine]

Arizwx... I believe you meant rainstorm not Rainband.

[Arizwx]

Arizwx... I believe you meant rainstorm not Rainband.

SS,
Indeed I did!Thank you and have a wonderful day!
Wx for Tucson,AZ Metro Sat 29MAR03:
Hi 81F & SUNNYSHINE! 8)

Starbucks' opens in 3 Minutes..so my loyal Cocker Spaniel 'Franklin' and I had best get the leash and 'step out smartly' on the mile walk through the desert while the coissants are still warm and the Mocha Double Latte Frappacino is fresh!The Sun should be rising very soon! 8)
Currently 57F and dawn.

[rainstorm]

cant agree ariz. while germany eventually stalled outside moscow, iraq is not russia. there is -0- chance of a coordinated iraqi counteroffensive at any time in the furture. there is no reason for a 4-6 day wait. none!! 1-2 days maybe. we have had 12+ months to build up supplies in that area. while you say we dont negotiate with terrorists i have yet to hear president bush announce a policy of unconditional surrender. anything less than that means negotiation is possible. i see this pause as preplanned. this is another opportunity for saddam to agree to go into exile. we will see.
again, you cant equate the eventual german defeat in russia with what is happening in iraq. my point is germany moved 3 MILLION TROOPS ALONG A 1000 MILE FRONT for weeks witout a pause, certainly we can do the same with 90,000 men along a very narrow front. there is no chance that we will suffer military defeat in iraq, but we can be defeated politically

[rainstorm]

every day of delay builds international pressue for a cease fire.

[Derek Ortt]

We need to end these half measures that we have been conducting. If we are at war, we should act like it

[sunny shine]

We need to end these half measures that we have been conducting. If we are at war, we should act like it

I agree!! Hopefully, we will do just that soon.

[rainstorm]

We need to end these half measures that we have been conducting. If we are at war, we should act like it

we need to get this over before international pressure builds for a cease fire

[cycloneye]

I haved never heard on fox or any othert channel that the US is going to negociate rainstorm and I want to know where you got that information because I see fox and nobody there,Sheppard Smith nor Bill.O.relly has said nothing about that.

Rainstorm you are the same lady that created big debates when tropical season came last year as no evidence you didn't provide to sustain your arguments that time at TWC.

[rainstorm]

I haved never heard on fox or any othert channel that the US is going to negociate rainstorm and I want to know where you got that information because I see fox and nobody there,Sheppard Smith nor Bill.O.relly has said nothing about that.

Rainstorm you are the same lady that created big debates when tropical season came last year as no evidence you didn't provide to sustain your arguments that time at TWC.

he said saddams strategy would be to inflict as many casualities as possible and at the last minute announce he wants a cease fire and will voluntarily leave iraq as a hero to the arab people. again, unless we announce a policy of unconditional surrender, that by definition means that the door is open to negotiation with saddam. president bush generically says war criminals wil be brought to justice, but he is yet to say that saddam hussein will be hunted down anywhere on earth and executed.