THE AGONY OF VICTORY

UNDER WHAT CONDITIONS WOULD THE COALITION SNAP TOGETHER AGAINST SADDAM--OR FALL APART?

In the black night heat, brilliant tungsten lamps spotlighted ranks of Abrams tanks, Bradley Fighting Vehicles and Humvees lining the draw yard at Camp Doha, as the first of 3,500 jet-lagged soldiers from Texas slung their gear aboard and revved the engines for the long drive into the desert. They were on a "combat time line," moving straight into battle position as if Saddam Hussein's Republican Guard troops were really advancing. "We are here to send a signal, and that signal is 'We are ready,'" said Colonel Robert C. Pollard. With its buildup in Kuwait last week, the U.S. very visibly...

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