http://homepage.eircom.net/~gulufuture/news/scott_ritter030325.htm

US WILL LOSE
THE IRAQ WAR
-SAYS SCOTT RITTER

25th March, 2003
by Fintan Dunne, Editor
http://www.GuluFuture.com

Thorn in the side of the American administration, and former UN
weapons inspector Scott Ritter, has warned that America will lose the
Iraq war and the American military: "will leave Iraq with its tail
between its legs."

In an interview with Irish radio, Mr. Ritter said that the conflict
would become an "absolute quagmire," and the US-UK advance would
stall outside Bhagdad and fail to capture the city.

"We find ourselves... facing a nation of 23 million, with armed
elements numbering around 7 million --who are concentrated at urban
areas. We will not win this fight. America will loose this war," said
Mr. Ritter.

According to Mr. Ritter, too many in the Pentagon have listened to:
"the blithering of Iraqi expatriates," whose agenda coincides with
neo-conservatives in the White House.

"We're in Iraq --carrying out the right-wing neo-conservative
motives of a handful of people. The Richard Perle's, Paul
Wolfowitz's; the Dick Cheney's. And we've allowed them to hijack our
foreign policy," he told Irish broadcaster, Vincent Browne on the
RTE1 radio "Tonight Show."

He warned that Shia Muslims in the South were not fighting because
of intimidation by the Iraqi government, but because of nationalistic
and religious reasons.

"They're doing it because, the American Crusader Infidel has invaded
and violated Holy Iraq, and they will resist us, and they will resist
us strongly," said Mr. Ritter. "We are not liberating Iraq, we are
destroying Iraq," he added later in the interview.

Scott Ritter, is a former U.N. weapons inspector and author of the
book "Endgame." Ritter, a ballistic missile technology expert, worked
in military intelligence during his 12-year career in the U.S. armed
forces. In 1998, Ritter resigned from the U.N. Special Commissions
team to protest Clinton Administration policies that he said
subverted the weapons inspection process.

Full Transcript & Audio follows below.

Discussion of situation in Iraq from
Tonight Show, on RTE1 24th March, 2003

Listen to
Ritter
Realplayer 3 mins
Listen to full Gulf War Analysis Segment Audio
25 minutes[ Realplayer]

Vincent Browne:

" Scott Ritter...
are you surprised by how
the assault in Iraq is going?
Scott Ritter:

" No actually, I wrote a paper that was published last Fall, that
predicted just this. And I'm a little disturbed in listening to some
of the analysis going along here.

I think that one of the reasons the American find themselves in such
difficulties in Iraq, is that so many in the Pentagon have listened
to the... blithering of Iraqi expatriots who have spoken out
--rightly so-- against Saddam Hussein, and who think that it's a) the
role of the United States to liberate Iraq; and b) think that the
Iraqi people want us to liberate them from Saddam.

And I think that the harsh reality is that in buying off on the
expectations of being greeted in the streets of Iraq with song and
flowers... we now find we are being greeted with bullets and bombs.

And it's the Shia in the south who are fighting us. They're not doing
it because Chemical Ali is down there with his death squads
threatening to execute 'em.

They're doing it because, the American Crusader Infidel has invaded
and violated Holy Iraq, and they will resist us, and they will resist
us strongly.

And no matter how many Iraqi's we kill and slaughter, I predict that
America will loose this war and ultimately the American military will
leave Iraq with its tail between its legs.

Unfortunately, we're going to inflict a tremenduous amount of death
and destruction on the people of Iraq; the American soldiers and
Marines will also pay a price.

And all those who sit outside of Iraq and courageously encourage
Americans to go in and slaughter Iraqi's should be ashamed of
themselves."

Vincent Browne:
"...You think the Americans will loose this war? "
Scott Ritter:

" We lost Vietnam....

Remember we can kill many, many Iraqui's and we will do so. But I am
telling you right now, that we do not have sufficient combat power in
Iraq --as we speak-- to win this battle. So we will have to reinforce
considerably.

The current posture, in terms of American deployment, is predicated
on a presumption that the Iraqi Army would surrender; that the Iraqi
people would welcome; that the international community would support.

The exact opposite is happening.

And now we find ourselves with fewer than 120,000 boots on the
ground; facing a nation of 23 million, with armed elements numbering
around 7 million --who are concentrated at urban areas.

We will not win this fight. America will loose this war.

Saddam Hussein may die... But you know what?

I'm betting that Saddam's gonna be around a lot longer than anyone can predict.

I'm betting that we don't capture Bhagdad.

I'm betting that we stall outside Bhagdad.

I'm betting that this becomes an absolute quagmire.

I hope I'm wrong, for the sake of the American lives that are going
to be lost. Remember I'm a 12 year veteran of the Marine Corps. I
fought in the first Gulf War. I know what war is about. I know what
defending my country is about.

This is a bad war, because it has nothing to do with the defense of
the United States of America. Iraq doesn't have weapons of mass
destruction. The Bush Administration has pulled an enormous lie to
the international community; to the American people.

And now we're in Iraq --carrying out the right-wing neo-conservative
motives of a handful of people; the Richard Perle's, Paul
Wolfowitz's; the Dick Cheney's. And we've allowed them to hijack our
foreign policy.

And they've been cheered on by these Iraqi expatriots, who have zero
credibility in my eyes. They're so brave and they want Iraq
liberated... Then my goodness man, go to Iraq... fight and die for
your country... But don't ask Americans to do it.

Listen to full Gulf War Analysis Segment Audio
25 minutes[ Realplayer]

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