So Long Saddam

At right, Time Magazine covers from 1945 and 2003.

So, so long Saddam, it appears, despite this foolishness in the New York Times which makes absolutely no sense at all.

Toppling Saddam Hussein did not automatically create a new and better Iraq. Executing him won’t either.

It's a vapid editorial, suggesting no realistic alternative, offering nothing constructive. It was an Iraqi justice system that tried Hussein, whether the NY Times understands and appreciates that isn't clear.

All they can do, day in and day out, is bash the administration and complain about the war. In some twisted way, even Saddam almost looks more noble compared to the faceless editors of the NY Times. At least he is going to take responsibility and ultimately die for his crimes.

Lately, there's an emptiness behind the Times editorials ... a black hole of weakness - a nothingness magnified by a constant non-creative, ineffectual prose slinking outward from an irresponsible viewpoint, day after day. Perhaps they are coming to understand how few people really care, or even read what they think or believe.

But they may be right about one thing - it's unclear if executing Saddam will help Iraq move forward, though a good case can be made that it will. Alas, it will have to do, I suppose. Unfortunately, we can't just up and execute an editor for the Times, instead ... even if eliminating such a profane source of enemy propaganda might actually help Iraq.

Heh! Watch that last bit set the Liberals off! ; )

Watch for updates and coverage at Hot Air and Michelle Malkin has several links, including this interesting one from Bill.

Comments

[seekeronos]

Meh. There should be some sort of anti-sedition satute somewhere that could be used to gag those traitors at the NY Times.

[Bill Faith]

It may not change anything. On the other hand, some people just need killin'. I hope they use a pigskin rope. I linked at Dead by Dawn? (Frequent updates, occasional bumps)-- http://www.smalltownveteran.net/bills_bites/2006/12/dead_by_dawn_1.html

[Steven Den Beste]

See, this is when we pull out the "multiculturalism" card. It's Iraqi culture to execute criminals, isn't it? What right do we in the West have to judge their traditions, or to interfere with them? How utterly insensitive! How ethnocentric!

[Steven Den Beste]

I'm just waiting for someone to say, "Yet another Iraqi victim of American aggression."

[Rhod]

The better-world fetish of The Time's editorial writers is their great limitation, and the source of their persistent liberal stupidity on this subject and others.

In Saddam's case, he's being executed for capital crimes, which has nothing to do with making the world a better place. Execution as a penalty is one society's expression of outrage at the crimes committed.

We can argue about capital punishment, and whether it's necessary or humane, but when a society grows dispassionate about criminal punishments, every form of punishment is unjust. This isn't complicated, but obviously far too complex for the idiots at the NYT. The paper is a disgrace.

[Phoenix]

Hanging is too kind. Surround Kirkuk with Peshmerga and plunk Saddam down there and tell him he's free to go.

[Daniel DiRito]

See a sarcastic visual of George Bush playing a round of “Hangman”…here:

http://www.thoughttheater.com/2006/12/george_plays_hangman.php

[upyernoz]

executing saddam was a mistake. he was executed for the dujail massacre, not the far more serious anfal genocide. because he's dead the anfal charges will be dismissed and saddam will remain technically innocent of those charges against him

this is also a mistake for several other reasons: executing him while the anfal trial was going on (but before saddam had a chance to testify) is just going to encourage conspiracy theories that his execution had to be rushed to silence him. on top of that dujail was a masscre of shia and anfal was the massacre of kurds. for the shia-dominated government to preclude kurds from getting their anfal trial will increase sectarian tension. for the execution to take place on eid al-fatr (the feast of the sacrifice) seems almost designed to make saddam a martyr.

there was no reason it couldn't wait another couple of months to let the anfal trial end. in the end the execution will go down as yet another blunder in iraq. one which, like many others, is mindlessly cheered at the time by ignorant bush supporters.