[Chapter 593: Tricked by the Russians]
Both William White and George W Bush had a remarkable tolerance for alcohol, but eating was just eating; getting themselves drunk required the right setting. Generally speaking, a restaurant wasn't the best place for that.
Typically, a dining table is dominated by red wine. Being able to select a wine that pairs beautifully with the food showcases the host's taste.
But let's face it, William White is a rich dude; taste is hardly a concern for him. Besides his own White Vineyard, he has no other principles to uphold.
"I mean, you've bought so much Lafite, do you really need to be this stingy?"
"What do you know? It's not time for that yet; let it continue to age in the barrel. Sigh, if my White Chateau had that kind of quality, you wouldn't even get a sip. This stuff needs to be kept for our descendants."
Bush Jr. was clearly disgusted by his antics. Man, hoarding is one thing, but why the theatrics? Just look at how much an '82 bottle is going for these days.
"Dude, this stuff costs over five hundred bucks a bottle; are you sure we're drinking alcohol?"
"Don't be so dramatic. In another ten years, three to five thousand won't even be a big deal. You have to understand the mindset of the wealthy; if they have a five thousand dollar bottle, they absolutely won't touch the four thousand five dollar stuff -- they'd consider it mouthwash."
Bush Jr. had to admit defeat; he recognized the vast difference in talent for making money between himself and William White. What White was selling wasn't wine; it was a status symbol.
They had filled their stomachs but hadn't savored the wine. Naturally, the time ahead would be all about having fun.
The two of them were out and about in Los Angeles, paying no mind to the world around them. In truth, they were just two spoiled rich kids; outsiders wouldn't really understand.
...
Three days later, the Soviets put forward four so-called peace proposals, supposedly in response to Saddam's previous statements. An hour later, Saddam said he welcomed the Soviets' suggestions.
Undoubtedly, if the Soviets weren't deliberately trying to pull a fast one, then Saddam must have drunk too much.
Seriously, doesn't he realize his own situation?
If I had to pick one word to describe it, it would definitely be "deteriorating." He's practically on the brink of collapse, and yet he tries to step in and dictate terms.
The American response was swift; they rejected this so-called peace proposal in less than thirty minutes. They had no choice; the Soviet move had completely freaked out the desert tycoon. If this was acceptable, wouldn't they be living in endless fear in the future?
First victim dies.
Historically, this has always been the standard: if the wrongdoers aren't punished, what chaos would this world descend into?
Completely accepting Resolution 660 is actually the best choice. You no longer have the bargaining power to play hardball; turning over a new leaf is what you should do.
Unfortunately, it seemed like America had dropped most of their bombs; the missile strikes had significantly decreased. Saddam stubbornly believed that America was afraid of ground warfare. Now, with the Soviets mediating, things seemed to be shifting.
...
"Master, are we not going to strike?"
"How is that possible? If the Soviets had said this five years ago, things might have changed. But now, America wouldn't mind them stirring things up; it allows them to go out with a bang."
"Still, the intensity of the bombing has decreased -- that's a fact. You don't think they're really running low on ammo, do you?"
"Of course not! It's just like playing a video game; no matter how skilled you are, you can't keep unleashing your special moves nonstop. They've got to hold back for now; when they let loose, Saddam's going to be in for a real surprise. He'll be waiting for negotiations and instead will get bombs."
"Is that devious? Ha, this is getting interesting."
"What's sneaky about war? All warfare is based on deception. Tanner, you don't read much, and that's not good."
Tanner clearly felt a bit embarrassed.
As William White saw it, the Soviets were clearly just bored. Deciding to take action against Saddam was something they voted in favor of. Now, stepping out to criticize is just plain crazy; if you had the ability, you would have opposed it decisively back then since you had veto power.
Saddam had almost offended every country in the world in one breath. Only someone as oblivious as the old queen could compare to such extreme foolishness.
The Soviet faction should just be the Soviet faction; what's with the flip-flopping? Now that you've allied with America, it's better to stay compliant.
And the outcome? Ha!
The Soviets suddenly stirring things up was rather odd. The reality was that they didn't have good intentions; most likely, they were just scared by America's military capabilities. If America's ground forces were equally strong, they would have decided to take it easy.
Seeing America slow to react, they thought it was worth a push. Continuing to bomb indiscriminately wouldn't work; they were well aware of Iraq's situation. If things continued this way, he would be the one to crack.
Little did Saddam know, their purpose was merely to test America's resolve. Is he a mule or a horse? At least come out and give a little show.
For great powers, guys like Saddam simply weren't worth supporting. Sure, he had cash, and he could throw a punch, but population and land area limited his capabilities.
Since he wasn't that useful, they might as well toss him out to test America's resilience. They found their soldiers had lost their combat abilities; even without Stinger missiles in Afghanistan, they were still struggling.
America hadn't fought in a while; if these guys were like him...
Ha! Then that would be wonderful.
...
Saddam, already a sacrificial lamb, surprisingly seemed a bit cheerful. Over the past month, he had hardly slept or eaten. The Americans had such a powerful aerial force; once this was all settled, he had to buy some planes from the Soviets. If that proved too difficult, getting some anti-air missiles would do.
"Hang in there, we have to hold on. We're already negotiating, and if those Americans come at us, let's show them some color. Prepare the useless oil; if we can't hold them off, we'll just set it ablaze."
"Understood, Mr. President; I'll contact the generals on the front line right away."
"Tell them that as long as they hold off the first wave, I'll allow them to retreat to the second line of defense."
Saddam was quite confident in his three defensive lines. Looking at it now, aside from some communication issues, things weren't bad. He had overlooked his air defenses; those damned Americans didn't seem so tough when fighting in Vietnam.
It wasn't that Saddam didn't understand; it was just that the world changed too quickly. This high-tech war that the entire world was watching was unlike any previous conflicts.
There were no siege battles, no flanking maneuvers. From the very start, it was a complete and overwhelming assault. Troops without air cover couldn't even think about guerrilla tactics.
By day, escape was impossible; annoying drones flew overhead, and by night, it was the same story. The tanks' engines would trigger an array of bombs and missiles. In the end, frontline troops had become jumpy.
Hold off the first wave of attacks?
Are you kidding? We're just trying to save our skins here! From the generals to the soldiers, no one felt like fighting anymore. This war was utterly pointless; getting beaten without the ability to fight back, and no one had the stomach to go on fighting at that moment.
*****
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