Gee, thanks guys. What time should we expect it to start? (looks at watch)

Is Russia looking to sell intelligence as well as arms here?

That report and .50c may buy you a cup of coffee.

That's it. No contracts for the Russians.

Fresh off their stunning victories in Afganistan and Chechnya...it's the Russian military advisors. Are they doing this advising via carrier pidgeon? I think nothing is flying in and out of Baghdad cepting B52s B2 and coalition aircraft (cruise missles are just flying in), I doubt they'd drive in.
Course they'll come in from the west right before sunset so the sun is in their eyes...blah blah blah..

who in their right mind would give contracts to Russians unless you knew them.

Commie bastards.

Pssst:

Actually, Baghdad isn't even the main target. Tikrit is. That, and the northern oil fields.

Oh, and there's a city on the Tigris, called "Saddamgrad," iirc. Dubya's fixated on Saddam's namesake city. Gonna go for that, and ignore Baghdad.

Ssshhhhhhh.

These are the same advisers Russia used when they went into Afghanistan

The Russians recommend that Sadam unleash his anti-gravity rays on the coalition armored units now, and shoot the Abrahms tanks down while they float in the sky like so many lead balloons. The anti-gravity ray also reverses the laws of aerodynamics and will ground the coalition air forces. After they have achieved anti-gravity-superiority, Sadam can fly out in his UFO, and vaporize the troops at will.

Or they attack from the east with big ass mirrors...

Can you see me now?

It needs to be remembered that, while UPI was once a respected world-wide news organization, it went into bankruptcy and the name was bought by business interests of Rev. Moon. I was not able to get the alleged Russian site, iraqwar.ru, to load.

What gives the story away is the laughable presumption that Saddam or any senior Iraqi military leaders are able to receive advice.

Unless Russia has developed a technology that can communicate with the dead.

The Russians are acting mighty tough for someone who relies on us so heavily for foriegn aid. I remember there being real food shortages not so long ago when we basically helped them feed their people. Am I smoking crack?

Don't think we will be so generous. The average American is seeing exactly what good friends the Russians have become.

"Russian military analysts believe that the critical (point) for the U.S. duration of the war would be over 90 days" -- in other words, after mid-June -- "provided that during that time the coalition will sustain over 1,000 killed."
As this article actually defines our "pain point", at least they are throwing out an educated guess. That would be a "long slog" through the heat of summer that would start to create serious pressure on Washington. We gotta find a way to get it done earlier. PS... I suppose "Saddams Ghost" writer will issue another letter to be read if the regime house of cards doesn't fall by then.

I suspect that, if this has really happened, it is not being driven by the policy of the Russian government. There are still a lot of old Bolsheviks in the Russian military who reflexively play the game against the Western "imperialist" Uncle Sam every chance they get.

Alot of old retired military men from Rusiia who can't get the high paying gigs on American TV, so why not become consultants and grab some $$$ from a dying regime. Best to be paid up front and electronically....wouldn;t want to have to go and collect

As far as our "pain point" I think once we pass it, the pressure is as likely to be toward intensifying the war as towards ending it. Throw enough force at it to do it right.

btw, the russian site is www1.irakwar.ru rather than iraqwar.ru there is a place there for an english translation, but I'm at work and not going to stick around long enuf to find it.

for what it's worth, a URL to the Russian article in English:

http://www1.iraqwar.ru/iraq-read_article.php?articleId=1310&lang=en

I would have a hard time accepting the "intelligence" of any people who read Pravda as fact. The truth is, the Russians were pretty embarassed at our efforts in Afghanistan, and they feel that their collective penis has been proven pretty tiny.

Furthermore, any REAL Russian intelligence is unlikely to find it's way to a public website, IMHO.

Tell Vlad we're sorry about his penis.

I think their intelligence is about as reliable as their GPS jammers.

Pretty slick, when the Iraqis get clobbered the Russians can blame it on Russian advice, deflecting the blame from Russian hardware. It's a ploy to salvage their export business.

That's the consultant's battlecry, "If they'd have listened to me, they'd have won".

Hey, that's printed on my business card!

Looks like the Russian advice was every bit as good here as it was in Afghanistan and Chechnya - Fox News is reporting that it's happening now.

Or is April 1 'mid-april'?

Orion