License to Kill

The Security Council just passed the Iraq resolution unanimously. Given that we would go to war without a resolution, I think it is better to have a unanimous sufficient resolution than a harsh 9-6 resolution (or have it vetoed).

Am I worried that we’ve been snookered by the wily French?

Nope.

First of all, it requires you to believe we are, in fact, “simplisme,” in contrast to their canny ability to slip in a “no war” clause. Second, it requires you to accept that we are operating in the legal process fetishist mode like the French do. We do not. We were, and are, quite willing to destroy Saddam’s regime alone if we have to. On the unlikely case we were snookered into accepting some French killer clause, our will to act will trump their will to negotiate. We will deplore their duplicity, regret their failure to operate in good faith and negotiate, and then invade Iraq because their failure to cooperate threatens the very integrity of the UN.

But it seems, according to the press, perfectly fine. It says they are in material breach and although it says we will go back to the UN to consult, it does not say we cannot act until the UN decides what to do. I suspect we already have damning evidence in hand and will set it forth at the proper time. Too much military hardware and people are moving toward Iraq to be just a precautionary move in case we invade. Once we mobilize reservists, that will be the point of no return and once we pass it we will race to be ready for war. Not that I don’t think the publicly available information isn’t already enough reason for war, but given that so many have staked their opposition on the “his brutality and obsession with weapons of mass destruction are old news” defense, new material will seal the end of effective anti-war opposition.

On the war, could all that activity in Kuwait be disguising a major thrust in corps strength from Jordan? Could the Marines and British invade from Kuwait to secure the south in a distracting move while the big guns come from Jordan? Israeli anti-missile systems plus our own would protect our rear, and Saddam could find his Scuds dropping on empty desert camps in Kuwait if he figured his big play for victory would be to dump chemicals on our troops in their jump-off points. [and we are building up stocks in Israel, to support the war. But why in Israel? Why not in Diego Garcia?] With all the trade that goes on the major highway from Jordan to Baghdad, that route should work. Jordanian port plus a nice road from the Gulf through Saudi Arabia for supply lines too. Overruns the missile launching bases right off the bat. I assumed the special forces were in western Iraq to search for missiles; why couldn’t they be there to prep the invasion route? Yikes, that big air raid on H-3 is looking far more significant. And it cuts off escape routes to Syria! You know, even though I thought the main effort would go through Kuwait with a secondary effort from Turkey and special operations out of Jordan, couldn’t we have the main effort from Jordan with secondary operations out of Kuwait and Turkey? Marines and British out of Kuwait. Two heavy divisions and air assault division out of Jordan. And a Turkish corps plus a mountain division out of Turkey. This is all map stuff of course, I don’t know if the logistics are possible; but given the heavy traffic on that Jordan-Iraq highway, it surely must be feasible. Hmm. Talk about hiding what we are doing in plain sight! Some deployments to Jordan and Israel done quietly; supplies into Kuwait that pass through in a trip through Saudi Arabia to Jordan. Nice public deployment into Kuwait of the British and Marines. That would be imaginative, that’s for sure.

My word, for the moment I’ve convinced myself that this is the plan. Must review data with this scenario in mind.

This could be freaking brilliant.