[Atticus]

Why is everyone building up this potential confrontation with the Republican Guard? Maybe I don't have all the facts - But as I see it, they will either surrender, or die from a barrage of Tomahawks, cluster bombs, 2000-5000 bombs, the new MOAB, or all of the above. Is this another attempt by the Coalition to use the media to scare them into surrendering and minimize the loss of life?

[bad_dad_brad]

The news media has to provide anxiety so you will keep tuning in.

"The big confrontation" with the Republican Guard will be a slaughter, if they don't give up first that is. A RG division is about 1/5 the size of a typical American division and they have outdated T72 tanks with 1/2 the range of an M1A Abrams tank.

Of course, before our tanks go in and mop up, Apaches and A-10s will make mincemeat of the Iraqi armour. Just a matter of time.

[PWK]

The news media provides anxiety because they really hope that Bush and America will fail so they build this RG stuff up like they are the meanest baddest fighting soldiers on the face of the earth.

And the RG don't have the Javelin. There was a post over at TFL with a video of that thing. It is almost not fair. I read a report, I think on Yahoo/AP about some Iraqi military hardware being destroyed by a Javelin on Thursday or Friday.

[capt_happypants]

They'll fight hard, because they're as good as dead. If they surrender, the Iraqis who have suffered at the hands of the RG will exact revenge. If they stay, they'll die at the hands of some very po'd tankers and mechanized infantrymen.

Use as much artillery and airpower to soften them up, then shoot the survivors. If the RG or the SRG were the ones who killed U.S. POWs, I expect nothing less than the complete and utter destruction of these units.

[Blackhawk]

Bottom line: They fear Saddam more than they fear the U.S. If they get killed fighting the U.S., that's it, they're JUST dead. If they don't fight the U.S., and Saddam survives, they AND their families are dead.

[Waitone]

An open field engagement between the US and the RG would be one sided to say the least.

Take those same RG and move them into Baghdad behind involuntary human shields fortified with chembio weapons and you've got a different story.

[cheygriz]

Nuke the bastards!

[D_Burchfield]

"Kill 'em all and let Allah sort 'em out"