White House: Saddam Loyalists Likely to Fight On
Dec 14, 9:41 AM (ET)
By Adam Entous
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In a major coup for President Bush and his beleaguered
Iraq campaign, White House officials said on Sunday Saddam Hussein's capture
should help lift the "blanket of fear" over the country but probably not end
the guerrilla insurgency claiming U.S. lives.
A White House spokesman said Bush would speak from the White House at noon EST
about the capture of Saddam.
"The president believes this is very good news for the Iraqi people. He is very
happy for the Iraqi people," White House spokesman Scott McClellan told
reporters.
"Saddam Hussein was a brutal oppressive dictator who was responsible for
decades of atrocities. And the Iraqi people can finally be assured that Saddam
Hussein will not be coming back. They can see it for themselves."
Bush was informed just before dawn on Sunday that U.S. troops had captured the
ousted Iraqi dictator near his home town of Tikrit.
Saddam had been the focus of a massive manhunt since the U.S. military tried --
unsuccessful -- to kill him in the opening hours of the war.
Aides said Bush might offer public comments later in the day after meetings
with his top advisers.
"The message to the Iraqi people is that the blanket of fear is beginning to
lift," a senior White House official said.
The news could boost Bush's standing in the polls.
But the official added: "There are unfortunately still people in Iraq who have
no future because their loyalties are to Saddam. We expect they will continue
to fight to the death."
More than 300 U.S. soldiers have been killed in action since U.S.-led forces
invaded Iraq in March to oust Saddam -- nearly 200 of them in guerrilla attacks
since Bush declared major combat over on May 1.
Bush canceled his trip to church on Sunday. Aides attributed the decision to
the heavy overnight snow blanketing the nation's capital rather than to the
surprise news of Saddam's capture.
Aides said Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld was the first to deliver the news
to the president on Saturday afternoon while he was at the presidential retreat
of Camp David.
Vice President ***** Cheney and members of the president's Cabinet were told
soon thereafter.
Bush, who returned on Saturday night to the White House, received final
confirmation of Saddam's capture from national security adviser Condoleezza
Rice at shortly after 5 a.m. (1000 GMT) Sunday.
Secretary of State Colin Powell immediately began reaching out to key U.S.
allies, including Spanish Foreign Minister Ana Palacio, who called the news "a
great day for the liberty of the Iraqi people."
Capturing Saddam represents a major victory for the president, who is seeking
reelection next year.
The invasion of Iraq failed to produce weapons of mass destruction, Bush's main
justification for going to war, and triggered a bloody guerrilla insurgency.
While clearly elated, White House officials sought to temper their enthusiasm.
After Saddam's sons, Uday and Qusay, were killed in a gunbattle with American
troops in July, violence against U.S. forces increased rather than decreased as
the White House had hoped.
U.S. officials have also said al Qaeda has been active against U.S. soldiers in
Iraq. Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden remains at large and is believed to be
plotting new attacks.
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