The ground war in the Gulf was over almost before it had begun—in one hundred hours. Was this just a good round figure that appealed to President Bush when he gave the ceasefire order—or was something more involved? His generals in the field had been unhappy at calling off their forces prematurely and thus leaving Saddam, an Arab Hitler, still in power. Why had the decision been made at that exact point?

After raising that question in one of his columns, Ari had then pointed out another side to the story. Bush’s order, which ended Operation Desert Storm at midnight February 27, had made a prophet out of the Lubavitchers’ Rabbi Menachem Schneerson, who had predicted an end to the conflict by Purim, beginning on February 28. Was that merely a coincidence?