"The hanging spread wide dismay among the Americans. Aides said American commanders were deeply upset by the way they were forced to hand Mr. Hussein over, a sequence commanders saw as motivated less by a concern for justice than for revenge" -SOURCE
Sorry, I believe the American version of this.
They could have waited a few days and done the hanging with some dignity instead of the way they carried it out - like a Shi'ite revenge hanging recorded by a cell phone.
==This is true, but it is also true that they really messed it up. They should have listened to the voice of reason and taken the time to make sure it was done right. In fact I personally don't see why they did not take Saddam through all the trials that were still pending against him. He was in US custody, he was not going anywhere, they had all the time in the world. But no they were in a rush and, just like always happens when people/governments get in a rush, serious mistakes were made which make the whole thing look like a revenge killing and not justice.
There's a right way to kill someone ? :smilewinkgrin:
I came from a third world country where gas is almost a luxury. Everytime OPEC raised gas prices, we knew what was coming. Government says: no, no, we're not going to raise gas prices right now. We'll do an economic study first.
Two days later they raise gas prices.:BangHead:
Point: You're gonna do it anyway, then do it and get it over with.
Forget the niceties.
LE, Saddam got a more "dignified" death than he ever afforded any of his victims, especially those who died in his prisons under torture. Those victims' relatives never knew exactly what happened to them and where they were and most got a decent burial only after the US came and booted Saddam out.
He at least got buried in his hometown, in the Muslim time and way, with mourners all around, and with his kin knowing exactly where to find his body.
His victims' relatives wonder if their kin were buried before sundown after death, or were their bodies left just laying where they died for days ?
He died an instantaneous well deserved death.
Most of his victims died slow, agonizing undeserved deaths.
This is clearly not true. Everyone knows that the Americans were the ones calling the shots here. It was an American court (the Iraqi outfits and appearances were just for show). It was an American verdict. The Americans are in control of everything in the Iraqi government ... or so we have been told.
Why should he have any dignity? He had none and deserved none due to his crimes. He wasn't even "man enough" to stand up and lead his people. He was captured cowering in a hole in the ground. How dignified is that? And when you have killed people, the time for dignity is over.
While I agree with most of you and your points, I was thinking that perhaps if it had been done differently, then perhaps he would not be regarded as a martyr on the Arab muslim street.
Then an Arab Christian enlightened me to the fact that even if he had died of natural causes, he would still be regarded as a martyr by most muslims.
Now, Saddam's lawyers seem to want the body exhumed....