Whether that's true or not is unclear. It just as possible that Saddam knew
he had no capability and yet allowed everyone to believe he may have as a
regional deterrent because he didn't believe another confrontation with an
allied coalition was a possibility unless he provoked it.

Well, it was pretty obvious to me in October 2002 that we were going
to war, so Saddam ought to have been able to figure it out. (I had a
Bush sticker on my bumper, and it was not easy-off. So I covered it up
with a local Congressional-race sticker, because I was annoyed about
the war thing. So I can date this as several weeks before the off-year
election.)

Saddam had at least five months to convince people that he had no such
weapons. That he made no such effort (the efforts that he did make
were along the lines of obfuscating the issue, thus helping convince
everyone that the weapons did exist) can only mean that he was
convinced that he had them and couldn't conceal them.

all the best -- Dan Ford
email: (requires authentication)

see the Warbird's Forum at www.warbirdforum.com
and the Piper Cub Forum at www.pipercubforum.com