The Saddam Verdict More Republican Tricks

Saddam is a criminal against humanity. He is a scourge who killed millions of his people, oppressed the rest and generally a genocidal maniac. But that does not mean that his trial should be the sole property of the Republican Party to wield as a tool to swing voters in the upcoming November elections. The irony of course is that he is convicted of a crime committed while Rumsfeld was giving Saddam the weapons to do the Genocide. Should Rumsfeld have been on trial as well? At the end of the day, the timing of this decision is really disgusting. via the The Progress Report …Hussein be convicted, it will be an historic and welcome development for the Iraqis who suffered under his rule. But already, the White House is trying to make it into a political spectacle. Yesterday on CNBC, White House Press Secretary Tony Snow said the verdict would "absolutely" be "a factor" in Tuesday's midterm elections and proof that the "Iraqi government that has been doing what the president has said all along." Snow portrayed Sunday's decision as yet another turning point for Iraq, calling it "a benchmark episode." Snow's spin matches President Bush's rhetoric when Saddam was captured. Bush said his capture marked "the end of the road...for all who bullied and killed in his name" and predicted "Iraqis can now come together and reject violence." But that was three years ago. Since that time, violence in Iraq has spiraled out of control as the country edges closer to complete chaos. WHAT'S HAPPENED SINCE SADDAM HAS BEEN CAPTURED: Saddam hasn't been a threat in Iraq since December 13, 2003, when he was captured. Since that time, 2,385 U.S. troops have died and more than 18,000 have been wounded. Attacks in Iraq have increased 400 percent even though there are 22,000 more U.S. troops on the ground. Saddam's anticipated conviction is gratifying but will not end this cycle of violence. ....POLITICALLY TIMED?: The verdict was recently rescheduled to come just two days before the U.S. midterm elections. The timing has raised eyebrows, especially because the Bush administration exercises considerable influence over the trial. The court itself was created by the administration-controlled Coalition Provisional Authority. The Washington Post reports, "The U.S. Embassy and the U.S. Regime Crimes Liaison Office run much of the day-to-day arrangements for the trial. Plainclothes security workers, many of them Americans, and Iraqi soldiers guard the turreted, fortress-like former Baath Party headquarters in the American-held Green Zone where the trial is playing out." The New York Times reports, "American influence...has been undeniably pervasive, with about 90 percent of the $145 million in annual costs for the court and associated investigations paid for by the United States Justice Department, and lawyers sent by Washington acting as advisers." Does anybody doubt this was the work of the Bush Administration to use as a tool for the midterm elections?