Bush vows fair trial for Saddam, role for Iraqis
Hmm...do you think we'll be seeing this face during Campaign 2004??
Well, it appears that my solution for dealing with Saddam was not very popular- but it certainly would have been simpler. I figured, why not deal with him the way the Italians did with Mussolini? Just hoist his body on a pole in downtown Baghdad and let the Iraqi populace get up close and personal with their former dictator.
Of course, being the just and humane society that we are, we'll grant him the legal considerations that he never granted thousands of his countrymen during his brutal reign.
WASHINGTON -- President Bush said "good riddance" to Saddam Hussein on Monday and pledged that the United States will find a fair way, in consultation with Iraqis, to try the captured former dictator.
Without providing details, the president sought to assure Iraqis, who have chafed at the U.S. occupation of their country, that they will play a role in what surely will be one of the world's most- watched trials.
"I will instruct this government to make sure the system includes Iraqi citizens," said Bush, at a news conference dominated by questions about U.S. policy in Iraq after Saturday's capture of Saddam.
Members of the Iraqi Governing Council, the U.S. appointed temporary governing body, said they want to try the former ruler, who is being held in an undisclosed location. But others have advocated an international tribunal that may be viewed as more impartial.
The president did not endorse either alternative but noted, "we want the world to say ... he got a fair trial. Because whatever justice is meted out needs to stand international scrutiny." Noting that he was not a lawyer, Bush said he will delegate the details of the trial to the legal community.
The president, who signed numerous death warrants as governor of Texas, declined to say whether he believed Saddam should be executed.
"I've got my personal views of how he ought to be treated, but I'm not an Iraqi citizen," said Bush.
It will be interesting to see how this all plays out. Of course, we COULD just turn him loose in downtown Baghdad and take bets on how long he'll survive.