Coverage by BBSNews

BBSNews - 2003-03-19 -- At 10:15 pm Wednesday evening, President George W. Bush told the American people that he has given the orders for a US attack on Iraq. The first air raid sirens went off in Baghdad at about 9:42 pm Eastern time, lot's of anti-aircraft fire from a no doubt jittery Iraqi military, and then the most ominous sign of all. The Whitehouse spokesman Ari Fleischer said the "dis-armament of Saddam Hussein is underway. There will be a statement from the president at 10:15."

And with that the US war on Iraq seemingly started. CNN's live coverage by audio depicted distant ack ack fire and even the sound of domestic singing birds; singing springlike but also alarmed.

"On my orders, coalition forces have been striking selective targets" said President Bush during his short address to the nation.

CNN is reporting that this first strike was all about a cutting off the head of the hydra, a "decapitation strike" based on some intelligence that the location of Saddam Hussein or other key figures of the Iraqi government, "leadership targets of opportunity" was known for a short window and what people have seen so far is not the scheduled beginning of the real attack.

Michael Hess is the Editor of BBSNews in Charlotte, NC. Write to the editor here. Not all submissions are published. Or visit the completely new BBSNews Blog and Forum on our front page - Please Participate in BBSNews!