Saddam didn’t blow any bridges, didn’t use any of the 100s of airplanes he had, didn’t set any major oil wells on fire, his troops left thousands of weapons, rounds of ammunition, tanks, armored vehicles behind and never used them in battle. Something is strange in this “war.” I wonder, was there really ever a war, or was there a deal between Bush and Saddam, where he would leave most things intact, his army wouldn’t resist that much and he would get away to some safe place where he would live out is life and the only people who would suffer would be the innocent Iraqis who would fight against the Americans and those who would be bombed in Basra, Baghdad, Um Kussar, Najaf, Karbala, Mosul, Kirkuk and other small places.
The whole war smells in another area. How is it that the thieves who invaded the Museum of Antiquities had keys, knew where many treasures were secretly hidden and stole only the genuine pieces, not the copies of originals that were in other museums?
Remember that Bush and Rummy had been told by museum curators that the Museum of Antiquities and the Museum of the Qur’an had to be protected at all costs if the US invaded and conquered Baghdad. The collector, Perstein and friends had paid a visit to Bush and Rummy only weeks before the war began; could the American troops have been ordered to let the looters take what they wanted and told not to interfere with them?
It seems like that; no good officer, in his right mind, would allow such a museum to be looted so blatantly as was those important museums, repositories for all mankind.
How is it that Sahaf, the Information Minister was talking less than a mile from American assault troops in Baghdad and made no effort to run for cover sooner? How is it that he suddenly disappeared when it was time to leave; then mysteriously turned up in Syria the next day?
How is it that Saddam was giving a speech on the hood of a car when the American troops were on the other side of Baghdad? What was going on? How is it that attacks on Saddam “missed” so often, killing others close by and after Saddam had left the area?
What happened to the defense plans Saddam had for the troops to stay in Baghdad and wait for the Americans to come to them, so that there would be urban warfare where the American weapons would be neutralized? Why did Saddam’s troops let themselves get caught in the open again, dug in so they could be attacked by the American planes?
Why was it that the Shi’a in Najaf could gather and stand off the American troops, but no other group, including Iraqi Army groups could stand their ground?
The whole thing smells as if there is something rotten in this whole “war.”
None of us know for sure at this time, but in time, it is bound to come out. Just as with 9/11 and the planes, the aftermath, the Patriot Act and the “panic” the government caused with their orchestrated fear, something smells to high heaven.
I’m putting my money on a deal having been made; a deal to the detriment of the Iraqi people, but to the benefit of Saddam and GW Bush, Rummy and the Halliburton, Bechtel, Brown and Root crowd (who stand to make billions on the “reconstruction” of Iraq).
SAM HAMOD is an expert in world affairs, especially the Middle East and Islam; he is the former editor of Third World News (Wash,DC), a professor at Princeton and also served as the Director of The Islamic Center of Washington,DC and as an advisor to the US State Department. He may be reached at shamod@cox.net