No Rush To Try Saddam

[subgenius]

Iraqi officials want to prevent him politicising his trial in the way the former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic has done by calling in former western government leaders to account for the support they showed Saddam before the first Gulf war in 1991.

The US defence secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, who visited Saddam in 1983 and 1984, is among those who could face unwelcome questioning.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1149035,00.html

Ooooh, that's gotta hurt.
Do we want a fair trial or a show trial?

 

[clk]

Do we want a fair trial or a show trial?

Whichever helps Bush's relection the most.

 

[JamesM]

I thought you meant Limbaugh for a moment there.

 

[Grammatron]

Iraqi officials want to prevent him politicising his trial in the way the former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic has done by calling in former western government leaders to account for the support they showed Saddam before the first Gulf war in 1991.

The US defence secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, who visited Saddam in 1983 and 1984, is among those who could face unwelcome questioning.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1149035,00.html

Ooooh, that's gotta hurt.
Do we want a fair trial or a show trial?

Do you want the trial to have an end or do you want the blame to be placed on everyone but Saddam?

 

[subgenius]

Re: Re: No Rush To Try Saddam

Do you want the trial to have an end or do you want the blame to be placed on everyone but Saddam?

Those don't seem to be the only choices in reality. I think there's a name for that.
I would like an expeditious, fair trial, but what the Iraqi's want is more important than imposing our notions on them.
Saddam would be the one on trial so my guess he would be convicted.
Frankly I wouldn't have blinked if we had immediately turned him over to a mob and let them drag him through the street. They maybe needed that catharsis.

 

[rikzilla]

Do we want a fair trial or a show trial?

They should try him for simple murder. There's plenty of evidence for that. Then hang him. Simple.

-z

 

[subgenius]

Re: Re: No Rush To Try Saddam

They should try him for simple murder. There's plenty of evidence for that. Then hang him. Simple.

-z

I don't disagree. I think the thought is that the families of the victims need to have the story told for closure or something.
Trials usually involve two sides of the story which may create enough ambiguity so they don't get the release they need.
That's why the time-worn technique of ripping him limb from limb and dragging him through the streets has such emotional impact, and might have been the best resolution. Might have unified the people more and maybe had some impact on the continuing insurgence.
A delayed, protracted trial probably is not a good thing for that country in terms of "getting over it" and moving forward. He's still a lingering ominous presence, both as an object of fear for the many, and an object of inspiration for the few.

 

[Tricky]

Execute him? You must be crazy! The man is a gold mine (land mine?) of information. Just hold him until the Stockholm Syndrome begins to kick in and start asking questions. Besides, death is the easy way out.

 

[rikzilla]

Re: Re: Re: No Rush To Try Saddam

I don't disagree. I think the thought is that the families of the victims need to have the story told for closure or something.
Trials usually involve two sides of the story which may create enough ambiguity so they don't get the release they need.
That's why the time-worn technique of ripping him limb from limb and dragging him through the streets has such emotional impact, and might have been the best resolution. Might have unified the people more and maybe had some impact on the continuing insurgence.
A delayed, protracted trial probably is not a good thing for that country in terms of "getting over it" and moving forward. He's still a lingering ominous presence, both as an object of fear for the many, and an object of inspiration for the few.

Well then,...that's the very definition of a "show trial"

Truth is, with a guy like Saddam...or Adolph Hitler had he lived to stand trial, there's no real question as to guilt. Therefore I guess it's to be a "Fair Show Trial".... Fair enough?

-z