Interrogator: Invasion Surprised Saddam

[Logan13]

Interrogator: Invasion Surprised Saddamhttp://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/...n3749494.shtml

CBS) Saddam Hussein initially didn't think the U.S. would invade Iraq to destroy weapons of mass destruction, so he kept the fact that he had none a secret to prevent an Iranian invasion he believed could happen. The Iraqi dictator revealed this thinking to George Piro, the FBI agent assigned to interrogate him after his capture.

Piro, in his first television interview, relays this and other revelations to 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley this Sunday, Jan. 27, at 7 p.m. ET/PT.

Piro spent almost seven months debriefing Saddam in a plan based on winning his confidence by convincing him that Piro was an important envoy who answered to President Bush. This and being Saddam's sole provider of items like writing materials and toiletries made the toppled Iraqi president open up to Piro, a Lebanese-American and one of the few FBI agents who spoke Arabic.

"He told me he initially miscalculated... President Bush’s intentions. He thought the United States would retaliate with the same type of attack as we did in 1998...a four-day aerial attack," says Piro. "He survived that one and he was willing to accept that type of attack." "He didn't believe the U.S. would invade?" asks Pelley, "No, not initially," answers Piro.

Once the invasion was certain, says Piro, Saddam asked his generals if they could hold the invaders for two weeks. "And at that point, it would go into what he called the secret war," Piro tells Pelley. But Piro isn’t convinced that the insurgency was Saddam's plan. "Well, he would like to take credit for the insurgency," says Piro.

Saddam still wouldn't admit he had no weapons of mass destruction, even when it was obvious there would be military action against him because of the perception he did. Because, says Piro, "For him, it was critical that he was seen as still the strong, defiant Saddam. He thought that [faking having the weapons] would prevent the Iranians from reinvading Iraq," he tells Pelley.

He also intended and had the wherewithal to restart the weapons program. "Saddam] still had the engineers. The folks that he needed to reconstitute his program are still there," says Piro. "He wanted to pursue all of WMD…to reconstitute his entire WMD program." This included chemical, biological and nuclear weapons, Piro says.
Saddam bragged that he changed his routine and security to elude capture. "What he wanted to really illustrate is…how he was able to outsmart us," says Piro. "He told me he changed…the way he traveled. He got rid of his normal vehicles. He got rid of the protective detail that he traveled with, really just to change his signature."

It took nine months to finally capture Saddam, but U.S. calculations on where he might be early on turned out to be accurate. Saddam was at Dora Farms early in the war when the known presidential site was targeted with tons of bombs and many missiles. "He said it in a kind of a bragging fashion that he was there, but that we missed him. He wasn't bothered by the fact that he was there," Piro tells Pelley.

[Panzerfaust]

Poor bastard got invaded and murdered! Sure, he might have been a comlete evil prick (how am I supposed to know) but Bush definately ****ed him over.

[Logan13]

Poor bastard got invaded and murdered! Sure, he might have been a comlete evil prick (how am I supposed to know) but Bush definately ****ed him over.

Do you mourn him as you lie awake in your bed?

[thegodfather]

I still fail to see how any of this was threatening the national security of the homeland of the United States? And I would hope that our American intelligence had the competence to know that he was doing this, and know that he was not in fact a threat but just blowing smoke up everyones ass's. You are REALLY stretching here Logan, with trying to justify Bush's unjustifiable war.

You would have us believe that because Saddam went around saying "I have WMDs, I have WMDs" that we just should take his word at face value and commit 500,000 US soldiers lives to taking him out, when he in reality posed no serious threat to the national security of this nation? In addition it has since come to light that the intelligence reports even reaffirmed that no such weapons or threats existed. '

So do you actually support US imperialism and war mongering? Because by all means if you do, why are you sitting here right now? The Army/Navy/Marines are taking new recruits everyday, why dont you go sign up?

[Logan13]

I still fail to see how any of this was threatening the national security of the homeland of the United States? And I would hope that our American intelligence had the competence to know that he was doing this, and know that he was not in fact a threat but just blowing smoke up everyones ass's. You are REALLY stretching here Logan, with trying to justify Bush's unjustifiable war.

You would have us believe that because Saddam went around saying "I have WMDs, I have WMDs" that we just should take his word at face value and commit 500,000 US soldiers lives to taking him out, when he in reality posed no serious threat to the national security of this nation? In addition it has since come to light that the intelligence reports even reaffirmed that no such weapons or threats existed. '

So do you actually support US imperialism and war mongering? Because by all means if you do, why are you sitting here right now? The Army/Navy/Marines are taking new recruits everyday, why dont you go sign up?

Not stretching it as much as those who are saying that he should be charged for war crimes, and yet no one can site which law was broken..........
We needed no other reason than the fact that sadaam broke the cease-fire agreement from 1991 17 times. Read the cease-fire agreement, it states that in no uncertain terms the use of the military would be re-implemented if the terms of said agreement are not met. What pisses me off are the ignorant ramblings of people who think they know that which they obviously do not know. I am tired of this ignorance.......

[thegodfather]

Not stretching it as much as those who are saying that he should be charged for war crimes, and yet no one can site which law was broken..........
We needed no other reason than the fact that sadaam broke the cease-fire agreement from 1991 17 times. Read the cease-fire agreement, it states that in no uncertain terms the use of the military would be re-implemented if the terms of said agreement are not met. What pisses me off are the ignorant ramblings of people who think they know that which they obviously do not know. I am tired of this ignorance.......

That is true...HOWEVER, that is not the reason given to the American public and sold down their throats to earn their support for this war. The war was propagated on LIES. Who is to say the American public would have been willing to risk all of those lives to enforce an agreement signed in 1991, which not only involved the US but several other nations of the United Nations. Who is to say the American public would have supported such measures to enforce UN resolutions and cease fire treatys from 1991?

I can only speculate that they would have much rather sought a diplomatic solution that did not involve 4,000 dead US sons&daughters, and plunging their country an additional 2 Trillion dollars into debt, all the while their quality of life and living standards go down. No, that is not why the American people supported the war initially, the war was supported based on bold faced LIES by the Bush administration.

[Logan13]

That is true...HOWEVER, that is not the reason given to the American public and sold down their throats to earn their support for this war. The war was propagated on LIES. Who is to say the American public would have been willing to risk all of those lives to enforce an agreement signed in 1991, which not only involved the US but several other nations of the United Nations. Who is to say the American public would have supported such measures to enforce UN resolutions and cease fire treatys from 1991?

I can only speculate that they would have much rather sought a diplomatic solution that did not involve 4,000 dead US sons&daughters, and plunging their country an additional 2 Trillion dollars into debt, all the while their quality of life and living standards go down. No, that is not why the American people supported the war initially, the war was supported based on bold faced LIES by the Bush administration.

Doesn't matter, the right was there the whole time and was therefore a "legal" action. So for you and otheres to say "it was an illegal war" makes you sound uninformed. Argue semantics all you want, the facts will not bend to suit your views.

[thegodfather]

Doesn't matter, the right was there the whole time and was therefore a "legal" action. So for you and otheres to say "it was an illegal war" makes you sound uninformed. Argue semantics all you want, the facts will not bend to suit your views.

Please show me a ****ing quotation where I said it was an illegal ****ing war...I never said that, do not put words into my mouth. I said that it was a war propagated on LIES. I never used the word illegal. The President and his advisors LIED. That is the point I am making, and that is the point I am arguing. They DECIEVED the American public as to the real threat at hand so as the garner support for their war. I never said it was ILLEGAL.

[Logan13]

Please show me a ****ing quotation where I said it was an illegal ****ing war...I never said that, do not put words into my mouth. I said that it was a war propagated on LIES. I never used the word illegal. The President and his advisors LIED. That is the point I am making, and that is the point I am arguing. They DECIEVED the American public as to the real threat at hand so as the garner support for their war. I never said it was ILLEGAL.

Then you must believe that the other 5 countries and the former US President that had the same intelligence lied as well. If Bush was knowingly lying about WMDs, he would have at least planted some to back up his story.

“Earlier today, I ordered America’s armed forces to strike military and security targets in Iraq. They are joined by British forces. Their mission is to attack Iraq’s nuclear, chemical and biological weapons programs and its military capacity to threaten its neighbors”
- President William Jefferson Clinton 12/16/98

"If Saddam rejects peace and we have to use force, our purpose is clear. We want to seriously diminish the threat posed by Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction program.”
–President Bill Clinton, Feb. 17, 1998

“The intelligence which the president shared with us was in line with what we saw in the White House…” - Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, 2003

US intel said it. England's intel said it. Israel's intel said it. France's intel said it. China's intel said it. And Russia's intel said it.
But Bush alone lied about the intel? Talk about a stretch godfather.
Logic is a commodity in short supply these days.

I would not have to spell this type of shit out if everyone with a knee-jerk opinion on matters of such importance would just think for themselves and do their OWN research. Maybe it's something in the water.....or in the kool-aid?

[thegodfather]

Then you must believe that the other 5 countries and the former US President that had the same intelligence lied as well. If Bush was knowingly lying about WMDs, he would have at least planted some to back up his story.

“Earlier today, I ordered America’s armed forces to strike military and security targets in Iraq. They are joined by British forces. Their mission is to attack Iraq’s nuclear, chemical and biological weapons programs and its military capacity to threaten its neighbors”
- President William Jefferson Clinton 12/16/98

"If Saddam rejects peace and we have to use force, our purpose is clear. We want to seriously diminish the threat posed by Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction program.”
–President Bill Clinton, Feb. 17, 1998

“The intelligence which the president shared with us was in line with what we saw in the White House…” - Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, 2003

US intel said it. England's intel said it. Israel's intel said it. France's intel said it. China's intel said it. And Russia's intel said it.
But Bush alone lied about the intel? Talk about a stretch godfather.
Logic is a commodity in short supply these days.

I would not have to spell this type of shit out if everyone with a knee-jerk opinion on matters of such importance would just think for themselves and do their OWN research. Maybe it's something in the water.....or in the kool-aid?

The question remains...Once we got there and found no WMDs, why did we stay there? All of a sudden we want to give Democracy to the Iraqi people, WHO DONT WANT IT? They have said over and over again that they want an Islamic ruled government. Who are we to impose Democracy on them?

I would even go so far as to say that Bush genuinely believed there were WMDs in the country. But once evidence of such was not found, why have we stayed there for years and years on end? If you could present me with some LOGICAL reasons I'd be very pleased.

[Logan13]

The question remains...Once we got there and found no WMDs, why did we stay there? All of a sudden we want to give Democracy to the Iraqi people, WHO DONT WANT IT? They have said over and over again that they want an Islamic ruled government. Who are we to impose Democracy on them?

I would even go so far as to say that Bush genuinely believed there were WMDs in the country. But once evidence of such was not found, why have we stayed there for years and years on end? If you could present me with some LOGICAL reasons I'd be very pleased.

You act as if we just walked in there, opened a door and seen that there were no WMDs to be found. We are there because the country was in a state of turmoil once sadaam was removed. Come on, to what extent do you wish to drag this out? You are now jumping from topic to topic as your perception of reality is thrown off by the facts. You are smarter than this. Quit trying to find fault where there really is none. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but no one is entitled to twist the facts to support an opinion. No disrespect intended here, but the air needs to be cleared.