> Seth, could you expound on this a little more? How, if SH is a moderate,
has he managed to keep
> Wolfowitz-like cadres in the Ba'ath party from devouring him?
Well, he's a dictator. And he has an unparalleled secret police system. There is a party structure, and therefore some means to express different opinions within a very narrow spectrum, but it's not like Saddam comes up for reelection.
In some ways they're comparable to the younger generation of Palestinian Fatah cadres: They're more tactically radical, but still defer to their leader.
Dennis Halliday told me that most of the Ba'athists were initially opposed to accepting the UN oil-for-food program. They didn't want to accept outside help. These are people - unlike the older generation of Iraqis who were quite cosmopolitan - who have had almost no contact with the outside world.
Seth