As far as Saddam Hussein being a great military strategist, he is neither a strategist, nor is he schooled in the operational arts, nor is he a tactician, nor is he a general, nor is he a soldier. Other than that, he’s a great military man, I want you to know that.

Schwarzkopf’s line is a pointed piece of wartime sarcasm aimed at puncturing the idea that Saddam Hussein’s leadership implied military genius. By listing, one by one, the professional competencies associated with effective command—strategy, operational art, tactics, and soldiering—he argues that Saddam lacks the training and experience that would justify calling him a “military man.” The final reversal (“Other than that…”) underscores the gap between propaganda-driven reputation and professional military assessment. The quote also reflects Schwarzkopf’s public-communication style during the Gulf War era: blunt, performative, and designed to shape public perception of the adversary’s competence.