Couldn't have said it better, Don. Saddam is neither stupid nor suicidal, and like any petty dictator he has a healthy share of self-interest and survival skills. He's not going to attack us or his allies (not that he has much to attack with), because it would make short work of not only his regime, but his life.

However, if he has nothing left to lose -- or believes so -- his ego will require him to go out with a bang.

The sophisticated deployment of biological weapons is a lot harder than people like to believe (Remember the cult that tried to infect a salad bar with influenza? Or how few people even got ill from weaponized anthrax letters? Not many countries could pull off a successful bio attack; it requires a ton of research and a lot of resources Saddam just doesn't have.) And he is unlikely to be able to hit the US significantly with either chemical or conventional weapons, although I can think of several nasty terrorist-like scenarios that might work with a little luck and a LOT of planning.

But Israel? He'll lob everything he has at Israel, 'cause he can reach 'em and it'll piss us off. I persoanlly have no desire for Israeli citizens to pay for US political mistakes with their lives and property.

Ohmigod... I'm agreeing with Tenet?