Now the SOB is a Martyr

January 7, 2007

It is not that Saddam Hussein did not deserve to die. Of course he deserved the death penalty for killing his citizens; he proved himself a diabolical serial killer. However, what happened to him matters to everyone.

Saddam Hussein’s execution was filled with controversy before it was carried out in late December 2006. There were legitimate concerns raised about the speed of his appeal, its overall fairness, its affect on U.S. military operations and the fact he was to be executed on a Muslim holy day.

The concerns were valid because Hussein was no ordinary criminal.

The process of trying Hussein was flawed from the beginning. The Iraqi government immediately started to fast track his trial and its inevitable execution. The Al-Maliki government did not want a fair trial, just a semblance of one. For example, the Iraqi government dismissed two trial judges because they were thought soft and acceding to defense demands. And after three defense attorneys were murdered there was little concern from Iraq.

After the death verdict, Al-Maliki said Hussein would be executed by the end of the year. This was a surprise. In the background there were heated arguments about the process, particularly the role of Americans in it. To our credit, U.S. military commanders responsible for Hussein did their jobs well and were the most adamant about not proceeding too quickly and said so.

They knew Hussein’s execution, whenever it happened would increase regional violence but even worse, mishandling the execution would make Hussein a martyr and result in more dead Americans over a longer time.

This was certainly not a concern to Al-Maliki or the Bush Administration. Condi Rice, Secretary of State just days before the execution gave the final approval for the flawed process by ordering protesting U.S. commanders to hand Hussein over to Iraq. She ignored their concerns of repercussions detrimental the U.S.

Saddam Hussein was executed by Iraq and after his execution they said he was fearful, even meek making him out to be a coward. However, a cell phone video proved something different. It showed a defiant Hussein scornful of his handlers, chastising them just minutes before his death amid their loud sectarian taunts. 

What a scene, especially for Hussein supporters.

The infamous viral video makes Hussein a martyr, a force that will live on in Middle East culture, driving more people to attack our soldiers.

Bush should have listened to his "generals on the ground" and pressured al-Maliki to make the process dignified for the sake of American lives. Again, Bush did not care or understand and the price of this failure will be more spilled blood of our soldiers.