When Will America's Assault on Iraq End?

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The Gulf War began in mid-January 1991, ended in early March - roughly a month and a half.

My assumption has, or had, been that this one would be over a great deal more quickly than that. But current projections, even from the US military, are tending to talk about 'months rather than weeks'.

When will the carnage be deemed complete?

― the pinefox, Friday, 28 March 2003 15:56 (twenty-three years ago)

Right now, the $64 million question. As James Blount noted elsewhere, there's still a good chance this could indeed wrap up quickly -- deploying more of the troops there, securing more airfields and supply routes where possible, etc. If it ends up as a situation where Baghdad is under siege, though, all bets are off.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 28 March 2003 16:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Would it be mean and flippant to say "after Bush's fortieth orgasm"?

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Friday, 28 March 2003 16:00 (twenty-three years ago)

will Bush be able to pull an FDR and go beyond the two-term limit is the war stays on long enough?

― Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Friday, 28 March 2003 16:01 (twenty-three years ago)

The constitution would have to be changed for that to happen.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 28 March 2003 16:02 (twenty-three years ago)

If the war stays long enough, he won't make a second term.

Anyone who thought this one would go faster than the Gulf War has never beseiged a city. Routing troops in the open desert is childs play compared to street-to-street fighting in hostile territory.

― Matt Maxwell (Matt M.), Friday, 28 March 2003 16:03 (twenty-three years ago)

The only clear answer appears to be that no-one has a clue. The short answer - when Baghdad is captured. In theory public opinion could turn sufficiently, but that's pretty much game over for the Bush administration, so it would probably have to get up to riot level.

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Friday, 28 March 2003 16:04 (twenty-three years ago)

This is really the 79.4 billion dollar question, right?

― hstencil, Friday, 28 March 2003 16:05 (twenty-three years ago)

Comparing Gulf War 1 w/the present one w/r/t time is not a good thing to do. Back then, our goal was to remove Iraqis from a tiny country, not invade and conquer their 'homeland'. It's a lot easier to kick someone out of someone else's house than to try to remove them from their own house.

― oops (Oops), Friday, 28 March 2003 16:06 (twenty-three years ago)

i agree with oops, it's an apples and oranges situation made more difficult by the fact that the us is (for all intent and purpose) acting unilaterally as opposed to the gulf war which damn near everyone was able to get behind.

as far as when it will be over i have no idea how to estimate that. i'd assume it's when saddam is killed/ousted or when all of bush's cronies have made out like bandits. haliburton has their contract so we can scratch him off the list. who's next on the list? secretary of interior gale norton? health and human services secretary tommy thompson?

― otto, Friday, 28 March 2003 16:12 (twenty-three years ago)

they will free Iraq by turning it into a charnel house.

one good thing about all this - the US-UK axis won't be invading anywhere else for a while. Iraq was meant to be the easy country, given the unpopularity of the regime and all that. Iran would be complete bloodbath. Mainly t-head blood, of course, but enough US troops would be coming home in bodybags to make Bushi pause.

― DV (dirtyvicar), Friday, 28 March 2003 16:32 (twenty-three years ago)

so, do you think North Korea's looking at this and going, "shit, we'll never get that invasion we need"

― Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Friday, 28 March 2003 16:33 (twenty-three years ago)

I'm considering setting up a site where everyone can submit their idea of the exact hour, day, month, and year that this war will "end". Then at the end I could give out a prize to the person who guessed best. What do you think?

― Andrew (enneff), Friday, 28 March 2003 17:20 (twenty-three years ago)

you would then get loads of hairsplitting about what "end" means. there are people who say that the invasion of Afghanistan hasn't ended as such.

― DV (dirtyvicar), Friday, 28 March 2003 17:25 (twenty-three years ago)

"one good thing about all this - the US-UK axis won't be invading anywhere else for a while." - when you assume you make an ass out of u and me!

― James Blount (James Blount), Friday, 28 March 2003 21:57 (twenty-three years ago)

I love Maxwell's "lady, you've clearly never besieged a city"!

― James Blount (James Blount), Friday, 28 March 2003 21:58 (twenty-three years ago)

it also should be understood that military projections (as opposed to political projections) of how a war will proceed tend to be pessimistic, understandably since they'll be the ones actually fighting it. eg. George Washington's letters to thread.

― James Blount (James Blount), Friday, 28 March 2003 22:01 (twenty-three years ago)

the BLOUNT IS BACK! Word to your mothers like a bitch with a dick. (Helltime and I just drove back from guitar center trying to chain profanity in progressively more interesting ways, I apologize)

Also: It will be over in November 2004 or so. Because that's how long they are currently authorized to force me to stay in past my current contract. Motherfucker cock ass fucker.

― Millar (Millar), Saturday, 29 March 2003 01:13 (twenty-three years ago)

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