A review of Ronald Kessler's new book, "The Terrorist Watch: Inside the Desperate Race to Stop the Next Attack," reveals that Saddam Hussein faked having a nuclear arsenal for the benefit of Iran. He thought it would convince the Iranians that he was a threat. But the more interesting revelation was this:
Saddam told the FBI that before the 9/11 attacks - the impact of which he misjudged as badly as he misjudged President Bush, he admitted - he had anticipated that UN sanctions would be lifted and he could resume making a nuclear weapon.
It would seem the invasion spoiled his plans. With 20-20 hindsight reviewer James Meeks concludes that it was a big mistake for Saddam to try to fake out the Iranians that way. How big?
If true, that was as big a miscalculation by Saddam as the decision by the U.S. to invade Iraq.
Mistake to invade? Better to have left Saddam Hussein in power to resume building a nuclear bomb after his oil-for-food bribery program got the UN sanctions lifted? Brilliant.
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