The 14-day air war in Iraq now has three broad goals: kill as many tanks and soldiers as possible, destroy the weaponry and communications systems that Iraqi security and paramilitary forces in Baghdad rely on, and attack the Hussein government's remaining pillars of power in the city.
So Mr. Bush has been deluged for the past two weeks with warnings that rather than aid his battle against terrorism, a unilateral attack on Mr. Hussein would undercut the cooperation and intelligence help he needs.
One message the Americans have received loud and clear is that the Arab reaction would be different if an attack on Mr Hussein were preceded by stronger American intervention on the Arab side in the Palestine conflict.On the face of it, Mr Bush's policy-setting speech on Palestine last June was just the opposite.
He also said an attack on Mr. Hussein could inflame public opinion in the Arab world if it is not seen as having the support of the full Security Council.
"Al Qaeda interpreted this as the first step toward launching an attack on Iran," Hussein claims.
An hour after the attack on the Spaniards, more than 100 residents of a nearby Sunni Muslim village swarmed the area, many chanting slogans in support of Hussein.
Mr. Majid, known as Chemical Ali for his role in the attack on the village of Halabja, in which more than 5,000 Kurds died, was perhaps the most notorious figure from the former regime to be executed since Mr. Hussein was himself hanged in December 2006.
Mr. Ahmed, also a relative of Mr. Hussein, commanded attacks on the Kurds in 1988 and served as defense minister during the American invasion in 2003.
And war is what they got". The Bush administration has never linked the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon to Mr. Hussein, although senior officials did charge that Iraq had ties to the Qaeda network.
Several officials said they were not certain whether Mr. Hussein had said anything yet concerning possible Iraqi involvement in the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
