European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 26, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Bellicose babble from Baghdad in Arab rhetoric style counts More than substance by David Lamb los Angeles times a the word from Baghdad has a been defiant and Bellicose. A  huge numbers of downed Allied planes Cabinet ministers speak of stunning victories Over the infidels radio broadcasters announce that Tel Aviv and saudi Arabia have been turned into crematories. The five scud missiles fired at saudi. Arabian cities wednesday All of which were knocked out by . Patriot missiles a were referred to in an iraqi communique thursday As Quot missiles raining Down on Riyadh and  while the allies were reporting the loss of. 17 planes in combat., Iraq was saying that the wreckage of 183 planes were. A scattered All Over our land by the  and while Israel was showing extraordinary restraint by staying out of the War. Iraq reported that Israel had entered it. Hyperbole and official lies Are no strangers to War. They Are the opiate of the a losers and underdogs. But iraqi president Saddam Hussein has relied on. A exaggerated claims to such a degree that one suspects he has fallen victim to an a unfortunate characteristic of Arab leadership the inability to separate reality from illusion. Throughout modern Arab history leaders have valued style More than substance. A a if truth was a casualty it did not matter. To lie was acceptable As Long As those lies did not translate into actions. In a Region filled with frustration and disillusionment the half truths became myths and the myths became the truth around which Hope was built. -. Egypt s late president Gamal Abdel. Nasser mastered the rhetoric of passion in with his extravagant claims Saddam Hussein seems to be trying to emulate the a revered late egyptian Leader Gamal Abdel Nasser Here in 1961. The 1950s and in the process shaped the psyche of an entire generation of arabs. His fiery speeches boomed out of Cairo on the radio All the Way from Morocco on the West to Iraq on the East and after 2,000 years of foreign Rule by the greeks. Romans fatimid mameluke ottoman turks and european colonialists his words a were a tonic for a people who had lost. A Confidence in themselves. Quot of America Quot he roared in 1956, Quot May Quot you choke on your  he told the arabs of their greatness As a people of the a emergence of an Arab nation of the strength the arabs had when they stood. Together the arabs found his words intellectually empty a and psychologically heartening. A a Saddam has tried to borrow some. Nasser esque mystique with his War claims and his contentions that the War is about. The liberation of Palestine not his invasion of Kuwait. A a a a. A except for desperate palestinians a a a a Saddam a rhetoric and his Call for a holy War against the infidels has largely fallen on deaf ears in the Arab world to is apparently the  messenger,.a. Man unable to outdistanced either his brutal reputation or a career spent building his own Power base Alteri at the expense of a fellow arabs Many Westerner s speculate that even in eventually losing the War Saddam will have won a place among the salads and Nasser and other revered Arab heroes Quot having wrapped himself however a. Superficially in the cloak of i Lam a cabness and palestinian Justice he will have stood up to the West taken its blows and perhaps lived to speak As the Voce of the Arab world a Many arabs question that thesis they Tiave a saying about Saddam May god keep him Happy and Lai away. From Jordan to saudi Arabia educated arabs traditionally have wanted to appease analysis Saddam not follow him. They mistrusted Bis motives and his invasion and occupation of Kuwait most feel confirmed their suspicions. Few bestow on in the a it revolutionary credentials of a Nasser Nasser faced Down tire British Trench and israelis Over the Suez canal. Nationalized the canal and fought the israelis in 1967. Even though the arabs lost that War in six Days Nasser quite unlike Hussein did not risk the destruction of his country in order to justify the unpopular invasion of another Arab country when Nasser resigned after the six Day War his people called him Back. When he died in 1970, a million egyptians showed up at his funeral in. Cairo. A a a. A a a. A \ for his part Saddam has. In an indirect Way at least Ali Oudy helped  linkage Between the Gulf War and Israel s problems with tie aral 1, that linkage is underscored by the presence of american soldiers Manning Patriot missiles in froth a Israel and saudi Arabia but the most telling part of Saddam s professional epitaph May be that he is the Only Modem Arab Leader to fight a War against non arabs without having the support of a single Arab county meet one of the most important. Members of the military. Jane Bunner is one of the military a most valued assets she a the spouse of a . Service member assigned overseas. Jane a role in providing support and a a Home base Quot for her Soldier husband Means something to both of them. And for her As for every other military spouse and family we understand How important it is that each of you has our support through keeping you informed every Day about critical events affecting you and your lives. The men and women of the european stars and stripes Are dedicated to that end linking Jane her husband and you As we strive to report. Your stories your problems you concerns and your Triumph keeping you in touch keeping you informed ,. Saturday january 26, .1591 the stars and stripes a a a Page 17