Death Penaly for Saddam

This from the BBC

Former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein has been convicted of crimes against humanity by a Baghdad court and sentenced to death by hanging.

As the judge began reading the death sentence Saddam Hussein shouted out "Allahu Akbar!" (God is Greatest) and "Long live Iraq! Long live the Iraqi people! Down with the traitors!"

The former leader looked shocked and furious as the sentence was passed, and continued to shout, denouncing the court, the judge and the US-led occupation force in Iraq.

But the BBC's world affairs editor John Simpson said that after his tirade, as he was led away from the courtroom, Saddam Hussein seemed to have a small smile on his face.

"It was as if he was thinking 'I've come here and done what I intended to do'," our correspondent said. [I'm so glad "our correspondent" is able to communicate this to me. What a man!]

Few Iraqis think the trial verdict will ease conflict, the BBC's Andrew North in Baghdad says. Even those Iraqis who want to see their former leader dead do not believe his execution would make things any better. [Ya it will.]

And this from Dean Barnett, I'm Bursting!!

After criticizing known errors in previous exit polls, he applies that criticism to the present polls:

None of the foregoing means the polls are worthless. It just means that to get an accurate gauge on things, you have to add a significant layer of Republican support to the reported numbers.
So what’s it all mean? In the tied races, the Republican will win. In the close races, the Republican will win. It adds up to Republicans running the table in the Senate.

And he predicts roughly the same for the house, but with some losses due to local issues, mostly scandal.

To which I commented:

If MSM is objective these polls are scientific. Actually, polls, pundits, and MSM are the same this year, nuts. I note Nancy says this is the worst economy since the Great Depression, that Bush mishandled the war, and that she's going to get to pick out the new drapes. Polls, pundits, and MSM would say every one of those three statements was true.

And what's the connection between these two stories? Just the MSM. They have a great need to create their own world. Saddam is heroic and a gentleman and Nancy is the next Queen of the House, and everybody hates the war and hates Bush. And they really believe that. I don't, and I betcha next Tuesday I'm right.

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Several hours later, I note my reaction is...ho hum. Not so for the Shia:

"Execute Saddam," they chanted....Breathing heavily as he ran along the streets, 35-year-old Abu Sinan said, "This is an unprecedented feeling of happiness ... nothing matches it, no festival nor marriage nor birth matches it."

Saddam is to be hung. They're joyful. This is as it should be. This is as I expected.

There are those though, who are sour:

"This government will be responsible for the consequences, with the deaths of hundreds, thousands or even hundreds of thousands, whose blood will be shed," Salih al-Mutlaq, a Sunni political leader, told the Al-Arabiya satellite television station.

I've been checking for the violence. Several hours now. Not much. Must be one of those "Arab Street" things.

Ho Hum.

(7:13 AM)

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About 1:00 PM. It must be 9 hours now since I first read Saddam is going to hang. Still haven't spotted the violence. I must be a very poor observer of social matters in Iraq, way back here as I am in the Midwest. But there must be violence, so many of the Iraqis are outraged by the inhumanity. I'm sure there is a spontaneous uprising somewhere. Somebody in NY can find it.

I read a comment by Sister Rosetta, I think on Iraq The Model. In describing her response she used the expression "calmness and peace". I like them Catholic women. --Ho Hum.

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I've been looking looking looking. No violence. Just rose petals and dancing in the streets --actually, "celebratory" gunfire, not rose petals; but a lot of dancing. Another broken promise by the Bathists. Just who can you trust these days?

I will note that when we entered Iraq and weren't greeted with rose petals and dancing it was because we were occupiers and our mission already in the first days was a failure. There is dancing now, and virtually no gunfire in battle. That would seem to suggest that Iraqis consider their new government a success.

Lastly, I will note, it is my opinion that in America on Wednesday there will not be dancing in the streets. It's not because the government won't be considered a success, it's because Republicans don't dance.
(12:19 AM}