Bizarre Bazaar

My only complaint is that it took too long to carry out the execution. Granted it was much shorter than the crappy 20+ years we have to wait in this country. I just hope the other 2 executed with him got to watch Saddam get it first.

"$300 billion in the drain and what do we have to show for it? An executed dictator? Saddam is dead. Great. Awesome. This is by no means a turning point in the War on Terror."

No, it isn't, if anything it will only escalate things, but it just gives neo-cons that warm feeling if we get to kill somebody, especially during the holidays. Makes em feel like they really are tough guys.

Saddam was butcher, but what we have know is worst. At least with Saddam with had a buffer against the Iranians, now they control half of Iraq! Bush is a idiot! We should have went after Osama in full force, this war is made to make Cheney and his friends rich! I pray our troops stay safe, my brother and brother-in-law are both over there, its gotten really bad!

Saddam "Insane" Husseins death is about two and a half years too late.
He should have been terminated a long time ago for history is already showing the U.S. and Coalitions military feat as one of histories swiftest victories. What remained of Iraq was being run as best as possible under military authority. It wasn't until civilian authority under Paul Bremer, discharging a million man Iraqi army that Iraqi unrest began. Middle Easterners by large only understand absolute power. It became politics as usual and nothing was getting accomplished!
Hmmm, perhaps the U.S. military should control our U.S. immigration problem????

The execution makes for great sensationalism. I query whether the present complicated situation in Iraq results from error or intent.

I still say, God Bless America and those who stand up for Her.

How one chooses to characterize Saddam is no longer important. What should be remembered is that he was tried before a court where one judge quit because of government pressure and interference, three lawyers were killed, the lawyers remaining were often ousted from the courtroom, witnesses testified behind a screen without revealing their identity and so many more transgressions against the fundamental notions of fair play that it was a farce. Whether justice prevailed is the opinion of the observer. That this trial was a mockery is a fact. No sentence of death should ever be tolerated from such a kangaroo court.

I wish no violence upon any man but instead a fair and honest treatment responding to his actions. Saddam Hussein got what he deserved and many more shall follow.

Those who complain (to some extent correctly) that we supported Saddam in the past and helped "stabilize" his gulag insist that this was "our fault."

In fact, dealing with despots and warlords has always been a vexing problem. In those past years, we were fighting Communism, and made "mistakes" in our efforts. That included helping tyrants who were "on our side."

Saddam was a murderous despot, who, by the accounting of Iraq's own United Nations representative...was responsible for over 2 million Muslim deaths...in various guises.

When Stalin developed pneumonia after a drunk, his chief of police Beria threatened anyone who would help him would be subject to arrest...Stalin died.

It's not unreasonable for those who were victimized by Saddam or their families would want to be around and taunt him at his impending death. By Arab standards, it was quite mild and his hangman excellent.

Observers said they heard his neck snap immediately. He died instantly. Chances are it was completely painless too.

That quiet and immediate death was not granted to any of his over 2 million victims, was it?

Mike

Umm, the last two paragraphs are not "spin" or "commentary" they are "analysis." If the hard facts are correct in this story, and there is no reason to believe they are not, this execution just made Saddam in to a martyr. Screaming supports for al-Sadr duringa state execution is insane & goes to prove that it is hard to tell who has lost Iraq, but it is clear the Shia & the Iranians have won it.

There is no excuse for the death penalty. He should have been put in an international prison for the rest of his life-kept from contact with other prisoners and not allowed guests. No TV or creature comforts-- similar to how they treated some of the NAZI war criminals. I don't care how you justify it....the death penalty is morally wrong. Killing other humans is wrong and never can be justified. It would have been more fitting punishment to spend the rest of his days in a prison cell. By killing him, we have allowed him an easy way out of a life of torment in a jail cell. Death was his escape and we allowed it. Shame on us all. Murdering is wrong.

"Executions are generally expected to be solemn affairs –- certainly not opportunities for thugs to score some final sectarian points before the “enemy” is disposed of."

So, Terry McArthy, what are you most annoyed about? That Iraqis can't/won't follow our scrupulously antiseptic approach to putting down the mad dogs in our own society? Or is it about your earlier comment how this will be seen more as Shiite payback? Make up your mind, man.

The Iraqis lived through hell because of this animal. Your 20 years reporting on "war, peace and everything in between" certainly tells you as much. This may be just me, but I'm inclined to give them at least as much of a learning curve as the relatives of Jeffrey Dahmer's victims' families had when given the opportunity to testify before THAT animal was put away. He was a piker compared to Saddam.

Baby steps, pal. Think: baby steps.

I found this article very interesting, thank you very much. When I say the TV clip where they just show the noose going on and that's it, it seemed like everything was pretty decent and peaceful. The guards just doing their job, guiding Saddam. When I watched the cell phone video, it seemed rather chaotic and unprofessional.

Nice "reporting," Terry. In addition to all of your other "relevant facts," including your uninformed predictions about how this video will mean bad things for America, you forgot to mention the most important fact underlying your "report"--that you want us all to vote for Kucinich in 2008.

The death of a human being should never be a cause for celebration. While justice was carried out. we should not rejoice in the death of anyone but should be saddened by the depraved nature of man and the sinful acts undertaken.

There is nothing wrong with killing a mass murderer. It is a good thing. It was the right thing to do.

The hanging of Saddam Hussein is something that was a long time coming. The people in our country that are in charge deserve respect, no matter what political party you are affiliated with. The majority of people elected them. If you agree with them or not you should still respect their authority and power. This was and is not a war over oil, if it were then we would already have what we wanted and be gone. Due to the fact that we were not elected into our nation's highest offices ourselves we are not privileged to all of the intelligence that they have, nor should we be. Some things are just best left to those who are "equipped," for lack of a better word to handle these matters. I believe that everyone will receive what he or she deserves in the end; we all have to answer to someone in the end.

The people in that part of the world have been killing each other for centuries....America saying a democracy will form is foolish.....In addition, religious racism is the most vicious form....I am a normal American with a family to raise and believe in conservative values..however I also believe there is corruption in our government.....If we really cared about protecting our country we would seal the borders with our millitary and take it from there.

What is wrong with the guards singing Shiite songs. They are Shia and it is an execution where culturally they are allowed to sing their songs- so what?

Iraqi's cannot expect to feel liberated as long as Saddam could break out of a jail cell as he did earlier in his life. They deserve him dead but nobody deserves to go thru a meatgrinder period. The execution was very dignified and low tech: no drugs, no guns, no electricity- just gravity.

Saddam also was dignified in advising the Iraqi people to stop fighting and also not to hate Americans just the current leadership.

Let us hope that the death of Saddam will bring relief to many people in Iraq. They, including many Sunis who also were killed by him, deserve closure.

I do not agree with Bush going to war but this execution was just and controlled by the US forces- of course! The insurgents break into any policestation they want to.

We need to get out. Vote for Dennis Kucinich for President- he will cut off all funds for these blasted war pofiteers. They should have provided jobs for locals rather than millions for Halliburton and they had no business using Abu Ghrab for any use. It was haunted.

After all this, bottom line is we still dont have Osama who was biiiiiig master mind of 9/11. Saddam though he did what he did ...may be he deserved it ...but i will looking forward to the day we catch OSAMA pple .... closure on all the americans , Tanzanians and Kenyans that have lost part of their family in the last decade.Why cant we invade North Korea like it happened in iraq ...and we know for sure they got the damn weapons . Raise Eyebrows a lot ...but then u would like to sit for talks with them and not others .....EQUAL JUSTICE TO ALL.

Good nite all .... I DONT SUPPORT THE WAR ......

Look guys, I am a good patriotic American country boy, but folks it is just sick to take pleasure in the death of someone.

Bush whom I voted for in 2000 (and voted straight ticket Republican) has made some bad choices, and our soldiers deaths and the "collateral damage" isn't worth watching Saddam meet Allah.

I don't care how many people Saddam murdered and tortured, if he could be held for the rest of his life in prision in some stable place like one of the Europeon countries it should have been done. And don't try to tell me that Saddam was tried and excuted by an Iraqi government, that just folly to believe.

I'm from Texas where we have an express lane in death row. I used to believe in the death penalty, and still do if a person cannot be held indefinately in jail.

America has become an empire and we are messing in too many peoples buisness. It is time we got back to a Jefersonian form of foreign policy.

"Sometimes it is said that man cannot be trusted with the government of himself. Can he, then, be trusted with the government of others? Or have we found angels in the forms of kings to govern him? Let history answer this question."

"Peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations - entangling alliance with none."

--Thomas Jefferson - First Inaugural Address

I am rather perplexed by those who have argued that the legitimate act of a sovereign government, in the execution of a man responsible for killing somewhere around half a million people, could somehow "spark violence in Iraq". The simple fact of the matter is that under Saddam's rule violence occurred with great regularity... it's just that the state was slaughtering people, not fascist militiamen! If only ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, MSNBC, and FOX were there to reveal his atrocities... but then again, they would have been the subject of his atrocities!

For all the people complaining about the uncut Saddam video;

Have you forgotten that Saddam murdered millions of Iraqi's?

Saddam got his just desserts, just like the Nazi's at Nuremberg.

Naturally, Saddam was scared a the end because he knew the next thing he would be seeing would be lava, flames and a guy in a red suit with a pitchfork.

Even though a person might merit such a death, we should never rejoice over it.

Terry McCarthy's piece here isn't the greatest example... but he tends to add too much commentary and personal bias to his work. If you have any doubt, then simply listen to his filings for ABC radio. I won't say for one second he doesn't have a right to his opinions, that he isn't educated or the like... but to disguise his work as one of a "reporter" does little justice to ABC news.