[KevinTheOmnivore]

That would seem rather counter-productive. Look at it this way, even if they are hesitant to fight, they still make good cannon fodder. Secondly, if you kill them first, then you're only shooting yourself in the foot. Third, if all of these conscription soldiers surrender in a mass exodus, it gives our military a bit of a problem, doesn't it? We need to process them, put them somewhere, use men to detain and monitor them, etc.

I would think it gives Saddam more time to plot his schemes and play PS2.