Iraqi Court to Open Saddam Trial Wed.

[Moloch]

BAGHDAD, Iraq -
Saddam Hussein and seven senior members of his 23-year regime will go on trial Wednesday to face charges they ordered the 1982 killings of nearly 150 people from the mainly Shiite town of Dujail following a failed attempt on Saddam's life.

Court officials have said they are trying Saddam on the Dujail massacre first because it was the easiest and quickest case to put together. Other cases they are investigating — including a crackdown on the Kurds that killed an estimated 180,000 people — involve much larger numbers of victims, more witnesses and more documentation.

If convicted, Saddam and his co-defendants could face the death penalty, but they could appeal before another chamber of the Iraqi Special tribunal.

Saddam and his co-defendants are expected to hear the charges against them during Wednesday's hearing, and the court will address procedural matters. The trial is then expected to be adjourned for several weeks.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051018/ap_on_re_mi_ea/saddam_trial

[jeff30997]

1. That trial is a joke.

He's already convicted and condemned to death.

[Oversea Visitor]

2. Kangroo Court

Open in Iraq. Wonder how the Iraqies people will view this.
90% chance of a fubar happening hehe.

FOOL ME ONCE SHAME ON YOU
A FOOL CANT GET FOOL AGAIN

Listen to you own quote chimp cause you dont know what a fubar you are in for.

[mike923]

6. As long as it ends with Saddam twisting in the wind via a noose....

i'm fine with calling it any style of court.

[FloridaPat]

3. But Iraq doesn't really have a government does it? How can they

have a trial like this? And after 20 years the US hasn't got any documents to show how evil he was - that don't include repub party members like Reagan?

[Crayson]

4. Restricted Defense

I read in a Swiss newspaper that his right to defend himself is very restricted.

Hey MAY NOT talk about the era of Iran-Iraq wars (when he was the US favorite little middle east dictator). And he may especially not talk about the visit of Dick Cheney's visit to Baghdad at that time.

I mean, he certainly killed thousands of people to keep his grip on the country but if he were to talk freely many others might go down with him...

[Bernardo de La Paz]

5. Just in time for anti-indictment spin. Redirect back to fundamental issues

They will talk Hussein and Iraq voting to death to take up time and oxygen on the talk shows and blogs.

Don't refute it. Ignore it and redirect the talk and debate back to the issue: Outing Plame and destroying the long going CIA anti-WMD operation was a craven political ploy to protect the fraudulent WMD justification for the Iraq war disaster.

[daleo]

7. Easiest and quickest case...

That doesn't implicate Reagan, Bush I, Thatcher, etc.