With so much else going wrong in the Iraq war, it’s some comfort that justice will be served on former tyrant Saddam Hussein, whom an Iraqi court this week sentenced to death by hanging.
Saddam richly deserves this ignominious death. He was found guilty of murdering 148 people after a 1982 attempt on his life. It’s just one example of the long reign of torture and terror he inflicted on his people.
That said, it’s clear that Saddam’s death won’t be a moment of national reconciliation for Iraq or a turning point in the war. To the contrary, the verdict so far has only reinforced the deep sectarian divisions among Iraqis, with Shiites celebrating and Sunnis vowing revenge.
But exacting justice on Saddam helps bring to a fitting close this evil chapter in Iraq’s history.
Posted by Randy Scholfield
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45 Comments
Saddam was convicted of crimes in 1982. In 1983, Rumsfeld went over and shook his hand in that famous photograph.
The documents show that during this period of renewed U.S. support for Saddam, he had invaded his neighbor (Iran), had long-range nuclear aspirations that would “probably” include “an eventual nuclear weapon capability,” harbored known terrorists in Baghdad, abused the human rights of his citizens, and possessed and used chemical weapons on Iranians and his own people. The U.S. response was to renew ties, to provide intelligence and aid to ensure Iraq would not be defeated by Iran, and to send a high-level presidential envoy named Donald Rumsfeld to shake hands with Saddam (20 December 1983).
http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB82/press.htm
Oh, well.
It’s a great triumph for democracy . . . or something.
His accomplices should also be tried.
It’s definately something.I’ll be damned if I can figure out what.
Didn’t Reagan do the same about face on Noriega?
I think one lesson is clear to the rest of the world:Accept help from the USA at your own risk.
And, by golly, look at the TIMING!
The death sentence is handed down 48 hours before the mid-term elections.
You couldn’t have timed that better for the Republicans if it had been planned!
I’m sure it was just pure coincidence it worked out that way. Nothing to see here . . .
hmmm has a good point. He didn’t do all of this killing, etc., personally, he had people to do it for him. How he set up the structure to find and/or force others to do his dirty work is another story. How dictators can flourish is a sad testimony on the human condition.
Dennis, are ya’ talkin about Bush or Saddam?
Hey, where’d all the wingers go?
Chuckle.
Oh I’m sorry Tracy,
Was there some comment you were looking for about the supposed Republican conspiracy to find Saddam Guilty right before the election?
Was there some comment you were looking for when you compare Bush to Saddam?
Sorry, you don’t have more people jumping up and down trying to barrage you with feed back on your retarded comments.
Nathan – have you read the Army Times (etc) editorial?
http://www.netscape.com/viewstory/2006/11/06/military-times-editorial/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.armytimes.com%2F&frame=true
EditorialTime for Rumsfeld to go
“So long as our government requires the backing of an aroused and informed public opinion … it is necessary to tell the hard bruising truth.”
That statement was written by Pulitzer Prize-winning war correspondent Marguerite Higgins more than a half-century ago during the Korean War.
But until recently, the “hard bruising” truth about the Iraq war has been difficult to come by from leaders in Washington.
One rosy reassurance after another has been handed down by President Bush, Vice President Cheney and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld: “mission accomplished,” the insurgency is “in its last throes,” and “back off,” we know what we’re doing, are a few choice examples.
Military leaders generally toed the line, although a few retired generals eventually spoke out from the safety of the sidelines, inciting criticism equally from anti-war types, who thought they should have spoken out while still in uniform, and pro-war foes, who thought the generals should have kept their critiques behind closed doors.
Now, however, a new chorus of criticism is beginning to resonate. Active-duty military leaders are starting to voice misgivings about the war’s planning, execution and dimming prospects for success.
Army Gen. John Abizaid, chief of U.S. Central Command, told a Senate Armed Services Committee in September: “I believe that the sectarian violence is probably as bad as I’ve seen it … and that if not stopped, it is possible that Iraq could move towards civil war.”
Last week, someone leaked to The New York Times a Central Command briefing slide showing an assessment that the civil conflict in Iraq now borders on “critical” and has been sliding toward “chaos” for most of the past year. The strategy in Iraq has been to train an Iraqi army and police force that could gradually take over for U.S. troops in providing for the security of their new government and their nation.
more …
Sheesh, I was just askin’!!!right Dennis?
If ya’ don’t like my question then why comment? oh faithful reader of retard comments.
Well, I’m sure Saddam deserves it, but does Iraq deserve what’s going to happen to it when he’s hung?
hmmmm,
No I had not read the editorial, yes now I have :)
who gives a rat ass about iraq. as long as they keep their oil flowing into the world supply it is good. how much you wanna bet he gets hung right before the next presidential election.
Was this written by the same Randy Scholfield who is against the death penalty for the Carr Brothers?
Well said ‘other’ TRACY! You speak eloquently for all GOP supporters.
Given my ‘druthers, I’d rather still have Saddam as a “threat” under sanctions and Osama bin Laden tried and convicted. You do remember who Osama bin Laden is, right? You know, the guy who attacked us back on 9/11.
Robert Fisk: This was a guilty verdict on America as wellPublished: 06 November 2006
So America’s one-time ally has been sentenced to death for war crimes he committed when he was Washington’s best friend in the Arab world. America knew all about his atrocities and even supplied the gas – along with the British, of course – yet there we were yesterday declaring it to be, in the White House’s words, another “great day for Iraq”. That’s what Tony Blair announced when Saddam Hussein was pulled from his hole in the ground on 13 December 2003. And now we’re going to string him up, and it’s another great day.
more …
http://www.netscape.com/viewstory/2006/11/06/-robert-fisk-this-was-a-guilty-verdict-on-america-as-well/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.independent.co.uk%2Fworld%2Ffisk%2Farticle1959051.ece&frame=true
To bad the soldier who uncovered him just didn’t go ahead and shoot him in the head…would have saved lives and a lot of time and trouble. Hanging by the neck until he is dead is a much to kind for a monster like him. To bad he won’t be tortured like so many of his victims first.
I think it will be interesting if Saddam appeals to the World Court at the Hague. If he can show that he was acting at the behest of the U.S., that he had taken steps to restore order, and then stopped, 24 years ago, and/or that the U.S. had no legitimate authority to invade Iraq, depose him, or set up a U.S.-dictated court, he could conceivably win.
He could argue, for example, that the U.S. invaders knew that what they planned and carried out would kill tens to hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqi civilians and drive hundreds of thousands more out of Iraq as refugees. He could argue that these mass-killers had no grounds, either legal or moral, to try and convict him. And he might receive a sympathetic hearing, as he did under the first judge hearing the trial.
I’m not saying this is going to happen, only that this could become larger than the American people fed a “we caught the murderer and now we’re gonna hang him,” storyline may currently understand.
where is it justified that killing anyone for anyone reason is justified as being right whether they have killed one person or millions of people or anyone as a matter of fact? going off and hanging suddam is just proving that these people are no better than suddam himself. my question is when is bush and his people up to trial for what they have done? no matter how you look at it, killing a humanbeing, or taking the life of anyone, for any reason is unjustified, and it’s not right for any reason.
Before hanging him I would like to learn everything he knows; particularly about those who helped him in his crimes against Iran.
http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB82/press.htm
This whole disaster could have been prevented. Congress recently passed a law immunizing all American torturers and those who enacted pro-torture initiatives from criminal prosecution. In short, heinous crimes became unprosecutable by statute. The executive pardon is also exercisable to preclude prosecution, or reverse convictions, for numerous crimes.
We could have negotiated a deal to give Saddam $10 billion to abdicate and live a happy and prosperous life anywhere he wanted to, and then taken over his government apparatus, paying off lieutenants (and alternatively threatening them) to maintain stability. Had Hussein rejected this, we could have offered him the package after he was retrieved from a hole in the ground, with orders to gather his minions and advise them to obey the American victors, if they wanted to continue living very comfortable lives.
These stratagems work. They worked for Alexander the Great, they worked for the Roman Empire, they’ve worked elsewhere in later times. When Rome invaded and conquered Israel, it didn’t execute the king, it made him a satrap. Which he was happy to be. (It beat being crucified for him, and it engendered stability for Rome.)
Instead, Cheney and Rumsfeld created CHAOS.
Carter Presidency (and not Reagan) was responsible in 1979 for the organization, financing, training of the Islamic uprising in Afghanistan from Pakistan and the terror campaign which followed.
A handwritten note by Alexander Haig was noted to ‘imply’ that Carter had given the go ahead of non-interference from the U.S. for Iraq to invade Iran.
Yeah almost as bad when Clinton sent Jimmy Carter in 1994 to North Korea for them to stop producing uranium fuels. The deal was for oil and food which the Clinton Government sent lots of.North Korea said ‘okey dokey’ and then in 1997 started a second plant even more efficiently at producing uranium fuels.
Encouraged by this turn of events, Jimmy Carter made his own deal for ‘Oil for Food’ for Iraq by cashing in on the program gathering in $1,000,000 or more for his Carter ‘Foundation’ based in Atlanta.
Carter did it again, by totaling mucking up the elections in Venezuela by convincing Chavez oppositon leaders the electoral votes were rigged and the election was fraud. No wonder Chavez hates the U.S.
Let’s see, what countries are giving us trouble today.
Afghanistan: CheckIraq: CheckIran: CheckNorth Korea CheckVenezuela: Check
Commonality: Jimmy Carter
Saddam has been tried and the verdict and sentence is in. Like any convict, it’s over.The less we fret the better. Sure, it will be a big day in Iraqi history when he is hung but what worries me is that Bush will recognize it as a big day in the war.The capture and upcoming death of Saddam pales when compared to the many losses we have been dealt. We still have no postwar plan that is working. We have no leadership which we can trust. Rumsfeld has lost the confidence of the armed forces leadership.I really just want Bush to go away…far far away.His staunch optimism and denial patterns seem like they were learned from the former Iraqi Information Minister.I think he should face investigation after he leaves office. I really believe he has unneccesarily put our troops in harms way. I think he is an arrogant incompetent.His legacy will surely help to brighten Pres. Clinton….and will make the next President be an absolute confirmed smart man. We cannot afford another dummy.How is it that Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, and Rice are the last remaining believers in our presence in Iraq. It’s because to admit anything less than perfection would cost them their legacy, cost them the 2008 election, and cost them power.I saw phooey on them.
Breaking news on the open thread.
Bonnie Huy not paying her taxes.
JM,
Your 4:27 PM post is factually-challenged.For example, “in 1997 started a second plant even more efficiently at producing uranium fuels”
* In 1997, the spent fuel rods were removed and stored under IAEA supervision.* The Agreed Framework did not include food.* NK said ‘okey dokey, but the US Repub Congress under funded, and failed on parts of the agreement.
OIL is the obvious commonality of the other contries.
And Dubya finally admitted today we’re in Iraq for the oil.
About time he fessed up.
Posted by: cosmos | November 06, 2006 at 06:19 PM”In 1997, the spent fuel rods were removed and stored under IAEA supervision.”
Cosmos, your post is factually challenged as intelligence on the Korean facility wasn’t fully gathered until 2002. Satellite photos had acknowledge the building of the facility but couldn’t prove it until South Korean Intelligence operatives verified it.
Posted by: cosmos | November 06, 2006 at 06:19 PM”The Agreed Framework did not include food.”
Foreign Assistance: North Korea Restricts Food Aid Monitoring (GAO/NSIAD-00-35,Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee:
I am pleased to be here today to discuss our recently completed assessmentof the World Food Program procedures to monitor and report on U.S.government-donated food aid to North Korea. The United States is one ofthe largest donors of emergency food to North Korea, with cumulativedonations since 1996 valued at about $365 million. Most of this food aidis channeled through the United Nation’s World Food Program and, as ofJune 1999, U.S. donations accounted for approximately88 percent of the World Food Program’s distributions to North Korea.Statement of Benjamin F. Nelson, Director, International Relations andTrade Issues, National Security and International AffairsDivision
Semper Fi —
On their 50th anniversary, a wife found the negligee she wore on herwedding night and put it on. She went to her husband, a retired Marine, and said: “Honey, do you remember this?” He looked up from his newspaper and said: “Yes dear, I do. You wore that same negligee the night we were married”
She said, “Yes, that’s right. Do you remember what you said to me thatnight?”
He nodded and said, “Yes dear, I said; Oh baby, I’m going to suck the life out of those boobs and screw your brains out.”
She giggled and said; “That’s exactly what you said. So now it’s fifty years later, and I’m in the same negligee. What do you have to say tonight?”
He looked her up and down and replied, “Mission accomplished.”
Saddam’s death sentence is a fine example of Christ’s love and forgiveness. I thought this was a Christian nation.Saddam’s execution will only cause more hatred and violence in that part of the world. It will also give the fundamentalist Moslems more hatred towards the USA.This more evidence that the Republicans must be put out of office.(Dear Lord, hear our prayer)!!!This whole situation in Iraq is a disgrace.What about the thousands that Bush has killed?I still say that there is a village in Texas who is missing their idiot.
Now that Saddam has been found guilty of killing thousands of Iraqi civilians can we send Bush to court for being responsible in the death of 650,000 Iraqi civilians?
Or at least Rumsfeld for helping Hussein kill people by providing the chemical weapons to do so?
JM,
You claimed it, so post your link(s) proving that NK “in 1997 started a second plant even more efficiently at producing uranium fuels”.
The UN’s World Food Program is not part of Carter’s 1994 Agreed Framework.
Randy will not answer questions about his biases and sources of income, but sure wants to play journalist real bad….see questions raised on the past consumer blog hit piece he posted for his rich relatives.
AND NOW, THIS WORD FROM RANDY’S SPONSORS: This message brought to you by Rent A Center and the new car dealers of Wichita, who ask, “Why own when you can lease from us in perpetuity???”
We hope you enjoy our bought and paid for editorial board member. It is good to have a voice running this board in godlike fashion, asking the hard questions but refusing to answer the same. Kinda like our salesmen!
Hey wait a minute Troll–
Let me say this as tactfully as I can . . . let’s see . . . phrase it diplomatically . . . with just the right amount of je ne se qua . . . how do you say it English . . . ah yes:
F*ck off.
Our sincere thanks,
The Management
Yeah, but Doug,
We killed those Iraqis FOR THE RIGHT REASONS.
See, that makes all the difference.
We didn’t mean to kill them, they just got in the way of our bombs and bullets . . . when we shot at them or dropped bombs on them.
People always have to die for “freedom” . . . or something . . . stay the course . . . we won’t stand down until they stand up . . . or we won’t lie down until they throw up or something . . .
I see they are dragging him out for an election day court appearance. How transparent is the Bush Admin., you decide (today).
Well, I see our many-named johnny one-note is at it again. While I have long thought that the eagle is too cozy with car dealers it is economic rather than political. After all, the car dealers are overwhelmingly Republican; starting with Senator Les Donovan. The issue with the eagle is all that advertising revenue.
As for Scholfield it is my understanding that there has been some sort of ‘falling out’ in the family years ago and that Randy has nothing to do with the dealerships.
Just because my brother or cousin might be in some business does NOT mean that I am in that same business.
A new post by riverbend on sunday about Sadddam and the trial.http://riverbendblog.blogspot.com/
If you don’t know, riverbend is an Iraqi living in Baghdad. She has had some very insightful comments on the situation there. I recommend that everyone go read it. She had one very good post about a (preinvasion) music store owner and all the conversations they had in the store about what was happening in Iraq and the rest of the world. He is dead now. He was Jill Carroll’s interperter and was killed during her kidnapping.
An excerpt:
When All Else Fails…… Execute the dictator. It’s that simple. When American troops are being killed by the dozen, when the country you are occupying is threatening to break up into smaller countries, when you have militias and death squads roaming the streets and you’ve put a group of Mullahs in power- execute the dictator.
Everyone expected this verdict from the very first day of the trial. There was a brief interlude when, with the first judge, it was thought that it might actually be a coherent trial where Iraqis could hear explanations and see what happened. That was soon over with the prosecution’s first false witness. Events that followed were so ridiculous; it’s difficult to believe them even now.
The sound would suddenly disappear when the defense or one of the defendants got up to speak. We would hear the witnesses but no one could see them- hidden behind a curtain, their voices were changed. People who were supposed to have been dead in the Dujail incident were found to be very alive.
Judge after judge was brought in because the ones in court were seen as too fair. They didn’t instantly condemn the defendants (even if only for the sake of the media). The piece de resistance was the final judge they brought in. His reputation vies only that of Chalabi- a well-known thief and murderer who ran away to Iran to escape not political condemnation, but his father’s wrath after he stole from the restaurant his father ran.
So we all knew the outcome upfront (Maliki was on television 24 hours before the verdict telling people not to ‘rejoice too much’). I think what surprises me right now is the utter stupidity of the current Iraqi government. The timing is ridiculous- immediately before the congressional elections? How very convenient for Bush. Iraq, today, is at its very worst since the invasion and the beginning occupation. April 2003 is looking like a honeymoon month today. Is it really the time to execute Saddam?
Saddam goes back to court to be charged today and urges Iraqies to shake hands and forgive. Makes you wonder who the bigger tyrant is Bush or Saddam?
OH please!! Saddam is a monster, Bush just a moron.
They are both a productivity of self belief beyond the normal the difference being Saddam self belief is in himself and Bush in America,The truth is they are both exactly the same but as humans we hold bush in less contempt because of his obvious failures in the brain department,and obviously has not realised his true potential as a comedian,given his speeches,If you believe that there is difference between the two you really are deluded to invade a country just because you feel like it or your invinciblity has been shattered,and the power America held was really just an elusive dream.the only difference is Saddam has killed more but Bush is close by.
Bush does not reign the world…even though he would like to think he does. If anyone should be hanged it should be Bush…he has killed millions of people in Afganistan, Iraq…..and Iran looks like the new target. Why cant the Americans mind their own damn business; and do some housekeeping of their own. A country where crime is rampant, there is zero social or family fabric…and unemployment going up by the minute. Bush is far more diabolical than anyone other leader anywhere else in history.