Home>>Opinion
Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, January 08, 2003

Bush Tries to 'Oust Saddam' by Both Hard & Soft Means

A commentary says if Bush forces Saddam to step down and disarm automatically through "a large army force bearing down upon the border" and lobbying, the United States can avoid suffering casualties and save military expenditures, then his exploits will surpass that of old Bush, this will be very conducive to Bush's efforts for re-election in 2004.


PRINT DISCUSSION CHINESE SEND TO FRIEND


Bush's speeches: Each More Strongly Worded Than the Other
On January 3, George W. Bush went to the military base in Fort Hood, Texas, to inspect local troops, where he delivered an exciting speech to over 4,000 army men. He said: We've got everything ready, if Iraqi President Saddam Hussein refuses to disarm, then the United States will take military actions against Iraq.

Fort Hood is the biggest base of US Army. The first army cavalry division and the fourth motorized infantry division are stationed there, totaling about 41,000 troops. A total of 25,000 soldiers of these two armed forces participated in the 1991 Gulf War. Thousands of officers and men moved from here have been deployed in Kuwait bordering upon Iraq. "Washington Post" declared on January 4 that Bush's inspection of the military camp demonstrated that the country had entered the state of readiness to go to war.

This is the third speech on the Iraq issue given by Bush within four days and his attitudes are one tougher than the other. On December 31 last year, Bush told the new media circles on the Craw Fort Ranch: I hope the Iraqi situation can be settled peacefully. One of my New Year pledges is this: to settle the crisis by peaceful method. He indicated he still hopes Iraq can give up weapons of mass destruction on its own initiative to avoid military actions. But on January 2 when Bush met with reporters, he warned Saddam that whether peace or war depends on Saddam himself, and that the day for the United States to reckon with Saddam is coming.

On January 4, US fighters made surprise attacks on three military antiaircraft communication systems on the southeast of Iraq. This is the third consecutive day when US military force bombed Iraqi ground military targets, it is also the sixth attack launched in the last week. On January 2, US fighter planes distributed around 480,000 leaflets over southern cities of Iraq, calling on the Iraqi public to stage uprisings to overthrow the Saddam regime. The US Arabic broadcasting of a psychological war aimed at Iraq called on Iraqi officers and soldiers to turn their guns against Saddam. US Defense Department has sent letters to its counterparts in various EU countries, requesting the latter to join the United States in launching military attacks on Iraq so as to topple the Saddam regime as quickly as possible.

US Navy, Land and Air Forces Move Huge Reinforcements to Gulf Areas
On January 1, US 3rd infantry division (about 11,000 soldiers) stationed in Fort Stewart, Georgia was ordered to assemble in the Gulf areas. The 3rd infantry division, one of the elite troops of US Army, is good at desert operations, it had cut a brilliant figure in the previous Gulf War. The bulk equipment of the 3rd division has been shipped to the Gulf, and several thousand officers and soldiers of this division had been trained and carried out exercises in Kuwait. In the next few weeks, all troops of the 3rd division will be assembled in the Gulf areas. This will be the first perfectly established operational division deployed by the US military in the Gulf areas.

An official with the Defense Department affirmed on January 3 that some officers and soldiers of the US first marine expeditionary army totaling 45,000 men had received order to start off for the Gulf areas from the California camp. Once war is waged against Iraq, this armed force will be the first to go into battle. This first expeditionary army has set up a front command post in Kuwait. Among the arms of services of the US military, this armed force belongs to the best preserved crack troops in combat readiness. The Pentagon declared on January 2 that more than 800 military engineering and intelligence experts stationed in a German base would also go upon order to the Gulf areas.

In regard to air force, presently the United States has deployed at least 200 F-15, F-16, A-10 fighters and F-117 contact fighters in the Gulf areas. The Defense Department has issued order to further move F-15E, F-15C fighters of five military units, including B-1 heavy bombers of a wing of the air force and HH-60, HC-130 search and rescue helicopters and pilot-less reconnaissance planes to the Gulf areas. The J-Stars radar planes deployed in the air force base in California for the purpose of tracking tanks and other ground vehicles have also received a dispatch order.

The "Constellation" aircraft carriers of the US armed force is presently cruising the Gulf, the "Truman" is in the neighboring Mediterranean area. The "Abraham Lincoln" aircraft carrier, which had just fulfilled the half-year-long cruising in the vicinity of Iraq, was ordered to remain at the sea. The "George Washington" is likely to return to the Gulf in the accompaniment of the "Abraham Lincoln" or the "Kitty Hawk". A large navy medical vessel will steer to the Gulf. A total of six aircraft carriers of US armed forces will be deployed in the next few weeks, which will be used to launch attacks on Iraq.

A defense official indicated that US forces currently deployed in the Gulf areas number about 64,000 people, and another 25,000 officers and soldiers will arrive in the coming one to two weeks. The US Central Command responsible for Gulf warfare conducted a computer military exercise in Qatar last December. At present, the Central Command has set up a "mobile headquarters" in the Al Udeid military base in Qatar, it is quite possible that it will be used as a directing and control center for attacking Iraq. Some 12,000 officers and soldiers of US armed forces also conduct large-scale exercise on the Iraqi border near Kuwait.

US media disclosed that according to the operational plan of "fighting and winning battles of quick decision" formulated by US forces, Baghdad will be taken in one or two days, and battles will all be ended in three to four weeks, and casualties will be avoided as many as possible.

"Subduing the Opponent's Troops Without Fighting" Is Most Beneficial to Bush
In his three speeches mentioned above and his letter to British PM Tony Blair, Bush declared his intention to settle crisis by peaceful means and set forth the conditions for "avoidance of war" to Saddam: disarm automatically, step down on his own or live in exile abroad.

A report published on the front page of British "Financial Times" on January 3 said that Saudi Arabia is striving for an opportunity to be offered by the United States to lobby Saddam to step down from office, so as to avert US military attacks against Iraq. An Arab official said that "if Saddam feels it hard to avoid war, I think he would probably accept the offer if a face-saving departure from office is proposed to him".

It is said that Saddam sternly refused the lobby. Turkish new Prime Minister Abdullah Gul began his four Mid-east-nation trip on January 3. The following day after his talks with Syrian President Bashar Al Assad, he said he believed it was still possible to settle the Iraqi crisis by peaceful means. Turkey and Syria agreed to concert their efforts for avoiding military attacks on Iraq.

A commentary says if Bush forces Saddam to step down and disarm automatically through "a large army force bearing down upon the border" and lobbying, the United States can avoid suffering casualties and save military expenditures, then his exploits will surpass that of old Bush, this will be very conducive to Bush's efforts for re-election in 2004.

By People's Daily Online


Questions?Comments? Click here
    Advanced






US Ready for War with Iraq If Needed: Bush

Bush Says Saddam's 'Day of Reckoning is Coming'

Bush Urged to Limit Weapons Use in War against Iraq





>> Full Coverage

 


Death Toll Rise to 20 in Tel Aviv Bombing Attacks ( 4 Messages)

China Lodges Formal Representation to Japan About Diaoyu Islands ( 8 Messages)

Can Weapon Inspection Avoid the Outbreak of War? ( 11 Messages)

Premier Zhu Urges Better Foreign Exchange Management ( 4 Messages)

China's Space Program on Course: Official ( 9 Messages)



Copyright by People's Daily Online, all rights reserved