Most of these tales of "numerous doubles and deception programs in place" have since been disproved. The fact is, once the War began, the US Air Force had Hussein in their targets and bombed his luncheon deli appointment almost immediately after the Order was Given.
Yes, the Fly-boys missed him -- by maybe ten minutes. If that.
But the point is, the Target was acquired and an attempted Elimination prosecuted almost immediately after the War began.
What happened to all the alleged "Doubles", then?
Guess we knew whom we were aiming for, all along.
What if we had "given the order", on an Assassination basis, six months before?
Besides, you then have the sons and numerous cousins, henchmen, etc.
Kill them too. Facing a Level of Magnitude less security, in each case.
You'd have to have dozens of targets all hit quickly,
No, you don't. All you have to do is create Chaos at the Top.
What happens when you create Chaos at the Top of a Totalitarian Dictatorship? (Hint: it's not "Export the WMD's worldwide". Every player in the destabilized Regime is looking for his own Ace Card -- not trying to go out in a "blaze of glory", ala Saddam or Hitler)
then you still have to go in and get the WMD because, if not, they would still be up for grabs like they seem to be now.
No, the domestic destabilization of the Iraqi Regime would've created an incentive for rival claimants to secure control of Iraqi WMD's under their own banner, within Iraq.
It seems pretty obvious to me, but even if you think I'm wrong: what's the worst case scenario? Total Export of All Iraqi WMD's to Terrorist Organizations Worldwide? That's what happened anyway, according to this UN report.
Yes, the Fly-boys missed him -- by maybe ten minutes. If that.
Really? I pay pretty close attention to the news and haven't seen that. And if we couldn't get him with big bombs dropped from airplanes, then how exactly were we supposed to get next to him with small arms?
Kill them [his two sons, numerous cousins and henchmen] too. Facing a Level of Magnitude less security, in each case.
We're dealing with the real world here, not some Hollywood production where everything is wrapped up neatly in a 2-hour stunt-filled spectacular. From the sound of your suggestions, you seem to lack the military and intelligence background to discuss this topic.
All you have to do is create Chaos at the Top. What happens when you create Chaos at the Top of a Totalitarian Dictatorship? (Hint: it's not "Export the WMD's worldwide". Every player in the destabilized Regime is looking for his own Ace Card -- not trying to go out in a "blaze of glory", ala Saddam or Hitler)
No, the domestic destabilization of the Iraqi Regime would've created an incentive for rival claimants to secure control of Iraqi WMD's under their own banner, within Iraq.
It seems pretty obvious to me, but even if you think I'm wrong: what's the worst case scenario? Total Export of All Iraqi WMD's to Terrorist Organizations Worldwide? That's what happened anyway, according to this UN report.
Again, you seem to lack the knowledge of fact to discuss this topic. What kind of "Ace Card" does a laboratory provide? You can't pick it up and carry it around. You can't operate it without scientists.
We're talking about laboratories and manufacturing facilities for the development of chemical and biological weapons. Like the Democrats who drone on about "stockpiles" of WMD, you seem to be unaware that Hussein probably wasn't manufacturing large amounts of WMD because he didn't need to. Less than a suitcase-full of various biological agents could wipe out a city if delivered properly. But, because of problems with shelf-life and stability, let alone the dangers of having such substances around, Hussein seemed to be employing the Japanese method known as "just-in-time" manufacturing.
Also, how can you be so sure what's going to happen after the dictator is toppled in a totalitarian regime? Everyone scatters with their own interests, looking out for themselves. And in a country with as many ethnic, tribal, sectarian, familial, and other factions, coupled with the Iranians perched on the eastern border, you don't know where any of the WMD could have wound up. As it is now, it seems as though they have stayed within Syria (with its scared dentist/dictator, who knows one wrong step could lead to Operation Syrian Freedom) and possibly with elements of the former Iraqi military and Ba'athist remnants. That, though not great, is better than seeing them scattered to al-Qaeda, Hezbollah, Hamas, etc.
But, if we assassinate Hussein and other top leaders(assuming we could) , the smaller fish get nervous, need money to finance a life on the run, and so they invite in bin Laden or others with the necessary cash for a fire sale of whatever could be pumped out quickly or whatever stock happened to already be available.
You are mistating what this report says. It does not say that the weapons were removed in operational form. Junked weapons are hardly that much of a threat.