Schwarzkopf Reassured; More Information Coming
By Susan Jones
CNSNews.com Morning Editor
January 29, 2003

(CNSNews.com) - General Norman Schwarzkopf made headlines on Tuesday when he told The Washington Post he "would like to have better information" before endorsing a U.S.-led war against Iraq. War skeptics seized on his remarks to paint any U.S. action as ill-advised.

But on Wednesday, Gen.Schwarzkopf told NBC's Today show he thought President Bush's State of the Union speech was "very compelling," and he said he looks forward to hearing the declassified information that Secretary of State Colin Powell will share with the world next week.

"Saddam's got to go," Schwarzkopf said Wednesday morning. "He's a monster in every single way you can think of and with the linkage to the terrorists, it's scary what in fact could be done."

Schwarzkopf said he expects key facts to emerge after Powell briefs the U.N. Security Council next Wednesday. "I think that the intelligence people obviously have information about activities, and I think you're going to see proof of those activities that show that in fact Saddam Hussein still has nuclear weapons or chemical weapons or biological weapons in his possession and has in fact hidden them someplace...I think that there's going to be conclusive evidence to show that he has not destroyed all the weapons that they say he's destroyed."

The general told NBC he would like to see the U.N. weapons inspectors come up with more hard evidence. "But I just think the time has come. We've kicked this football up and down the field over again. Saddam is a legitimate monster, and he's got to go - there's no question about that."

Schwarzkopf, who commanded U.S. troops in the 1991 Persian Gulf War, said it's nice to go into battle with a clear U.N. mandate. "On the other hand," he added, "the situation is so desperate at this point, and the linkage between the terrorists and Iraq is frightening. It really is frightening," Schwarzkopf said.

"Saddam Hussein, when you look at what he has done in the past, I don't think he would hesitate for one minute to give the terrorists what they need to go ahead and attack the United States of America. We can't allow that to happen."

Schwarzkopf said he thinks more evidence of that terrorist-Iraq linkage will emerge this week.

He said the scenario that worries him the most would be a "protracted" battle in downtown Baghdad, where troops would have to go "house-to-house." He said he has no idea what the U.S. military plan is, but he doesn't think the Iraqis will last very long in the face of U.S. military might.

"I lean toward the fact that it's going to be a very, very quick victory, hopefully not involving a lot of damage to civilians."

\keepn\s5\b Rumsfeld criticized

Schwarzkopf indicated that he's troubled by Defense Secretary's Donald Rumsfeld's increasing propensity to "call the shots" in the war planning.

"Rumsfeld look like he more and more is taking control of operational matters rather than policy matters... because he does not have any faith in the U.S. military leadership, and I think that that's a very, very bad situation."

Schwarzkopf said a similar thing happened during the Vietnam War, when then-Defense Secretary Robert McNamara started running the war out of the Pentagon. "It was really, really a very, very bad time for the military," he said.