Did Regime Choreograph Exit?

Los Angeles Times ^ | April 19, 2003 | Greg Miller

[sarcasm]

WASHINGTON -- Analysts at the CIA and elsewhere are increasingly examining the possibility that ousted Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's inner circle carried out elaborate plans to escape and leave little or no incriminating evidence behind, U.S. intelligence officials say.

The officials said the latest thinking is part of an effort to make sense of a series of developments that defied U.S. expectations.

Among the surprises were the regime's disappearance April 9, its failure to use any chemical or biological weapons against U.S. troops, and the fact that key ministries and facilities being searched by U.S. forces appear to have been "professionally" scrubbed by the departing regime.

[The Raven]

Now the libs can remain in denial.

[Illbay]

I assure you, there is no way that a regime that lasted thirty years can have "scrubbed" the place clean.

Initially it may seem that they have no "hard evidence" of things, but it WILL be found, I assure you.

[KeyWest]

LA/NY Times, the CNN of print.

We print/we decide.

[livius]

there is no way that a regime that lasted thirty years can have "scrubbed" the place clean.

You're right. Even though they probably got "professional" coaching from Russian security services in how to make the past disappear, we'll find it sooner or later.

However, I do think they had planned this in advance. The flight of their armed forces was probably spontaneous. I read in an earlier post that one of the captured generals said they knew they had no chance, and a lot of the soldiers simply fled. But the disappearance of the infrastructure of the regime along with its documentation obviously took some advance planning, and probably the cooperation of other countries (such as Syria).

Of course, it'll probably all turn up in Paris one of these days.

[leftiesareloonie]

Could it really be that Saddam knowing that he was going to lose a "conventional" war, decided to put up on a show of a defense, then go underground, rather than defend Bagdhad, take his chemical weapons with him, and is just waiting for the US to tire of trying to "rule" Iraq, for Shia and Sunni resentment to build, for the international community to rise up in condemnation because the failure to find any WMD?

Then maybe, like Osama, he gives out tantalizing clues that he's alive and well and biding his time for a devestating strike when the guard is down?

Seems like a bizarre strategy to me, since it banks on lots of things going wrong for the US. I mean he can't hide forever with a couple hundred thousand troops pouring over the country can he?

[Nick Danger]

It is obvious that on the military side, the regime's command-and-control structures became ineffective early in the war. Simple tactical moves from Warfare 101, like blowing some of the bridges, were not made.

Now we are to believe that a diabolically clever master plan was executed perfectly by thousands of bureaucrats, who simultaneously cleaned out their files, made their escape plans, and got out of Dodge, all on the same day.

Nope. Not gonna believe it. Wouldn't be prudent.

[randita]

I read in an earlier post that one of the captured generals said they knew they had no chance, and a lot of the soldiers simply fled.

And many of the non-captured generals are living outside of Iraq in an undisclosed location with a bankroll of upwards of $75 million, courtesy of Uncle Sam.

[AmericaUnited]

How about the obvious that when Saddam, sons and his inner circle got wiped out on April 7th, everyone else quit.

[Mike Darancette]

Now we are to believe that a diabolically clever master plan was executed perfectly by thousands of bureaucrats, who simultaneously cleaned out their files, made their escape plans, and got out of Dodge, all on the same day.

And left >$300 million just sitting around?