Saddam Hussein has challenged President Bush to a debate on live television, according to interview excerpts being aired Tuesday, and indicated he won't heed U.N. orders to destroy his Al Samoud 2 missiles. In the three-hour interview in the Iraq capital, CBS television quoted Saddam as calling for the debate via satellite linkup. The White House said the debate offer wasn't serious.
| Back in October, the Iraqis suggested a duel, presumably to the death. A year before, the Taliban challenged Bush and Blair to meet Mullah Omar with Kalashnikovs at 30 paces... |
Also in the interview, Saddam belittled an order from chief weapons inspector Hans Blix to begin destroying the Al Samoud 2 system by the end of the week. "Iraq is allowed to prepare proper missiles and we are committed to that," the network quoted Saddam as saying. Asked whether the Al Samoud 2 missiles are "proper," Saddam was quoted as replying: "We do not have missiles that go beyond the proscribed range."
| "Perhaps you'd like to inspect us to make sure?... Oh. You did that." |
Other recent visitors, however, have said Saddam appeared eager to cooperate fully with the U.N. inspectors in a bid to avert a U.S.-led war. They include former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark and former Russian Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov.
Clark said Saddam sees little incentive to cooperate with the inspectors, however, because he believes Bush is set on war. "What he thinks is, no matter what Iraq's performance is, the president will attack," Clark said.
Hmm, I think Saddam is right, Bush will attack no matter what.
| Unless Sammy does something drastic, like actually disarming. He won't do that. |
Bush won't be satisfied even if Saddam does destroy the missiles, White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said. He said stockpiles of sarin and VX nerve agent were still missing.
And if not, the CIA will figure out something else.
| Sammy could always get out of town, though... |
"This is not about public relations. This is about protecting the lives of the American people," Fleischer said. "If Saddam Hussein destroys the missiles that he said he never had ... you've got to wonder what other weapons does he have?"
Why does Fleisher not sound so convincing to me, is it because he answers his own excuse?
Iraq did declare the missiles in its 12,000-page report to the United Nations in December.
| But they have a range greater than that permitted... |
In the CBS interview, conducted by anchor Dan Rather, Saddam challenged Bush to a televised debate via satellite linkup, along the lines of those in a U.S. presidential campaign, the network said. "I am ready to conduct a direct dialogue — a debate — with your president," CBS quoted Saddam as saying. "I will say what I want and he will say what he wants."
Yes that would be nice, I love to see who of the two sound more convincing!
Fleischer said Saddam's comments on the missiles constituted "open defiance" of the United Nations and said Bush wasn't taking the debate offer seriously. "This is not a serious issue," Fleischer said. "There is no debating his need to disarm."
Arghhh, don't crawl back, show some balls face him in front of the whole world
CBS said it planned to broadcast excerpts of the interview on Tuesday and the entire interview on Wednesday.
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