The Return of Saddam - What are they trying to achieve with this?

[Jon8503]

by Armando Sat Jun 4th, 2005 at 14:40:05 PDT
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2005/6/4/17405/69665

I have noticed an uptick in Saddam coverage lately. First the infamous photo in the Murdoch papers. Then the call for his execution. And now this:

The judge in Saddam's trial, Raid Juhi, told the London-based Asharq al-Awsat newspaper in an interview that the ousted president and some of the 11 other detained former regime figures are facing "12 cases" carrying punishments from life in jail to the death penalty.

"The ousted president has suffered a collapse in his morale because he understands the extent of the charges against him and because he's certain that he will stand trial before an impartial court," Juhi was quoted as saying.

Saddam, who is being held in a U.S.-run detention facility in Baghdad, was captured in December 2003 and faces charges including killing rival politicians during his 30-year rule, gassing Kurds, invading Kuwait in 1990 and suppressing Kurdish and Shiite uprisings the next year. No date has been set for the start of his trial, but Juhi said the former dictator was expected to face the tribunal within two months. Juhi said Saddam will be tried alone in some cases and alongside other detainees in others. Saddam's lawyer Khalil al-Duleimi, however, told The Associated Press that his client was in high spirits and that he was not aware of the 12 cases the judge referred to. "The last time I met Saddam was in late April and his spirits were very high," al-Duleimi said.

Now I have no idea whether Saddam's morale is high, low or middling and I am not sure why I should care. What I do wonder about is why so much Saddam coverage of late. It does not seem coincidental to me. I mean the JUDGE commenting on Saddam's state of mind and "the extent of the charges"? What's up with that?

[Fridays Child]

1. To re-energize flagging enthusiasm for the war and to distract from...

...torture, the DSM, unauthorized bombing campaigns, Bolton, etc.

That's my guess.

[LightningFlash]

2. They are trying to remind their army that....

"Hey all of you southernors, we captured soddom. That means we doin the good for ameruka and we's fightin them back. In facts soddom hath been sorry, even tho we dont know where bin laden is yo ma friaand."
:wow: :banghead: :banghead: :puffpiece: :beer:


Salute the heros of Downing Street! :patriot:

[DireStrike]

3. Criticism of the admin. and the war is up

They are trying to create the impression that "protest at home damages morale abroad" maybe?

Or perhaps they just want to remind people that Saddam was such a terrible man and yada yada yada. Trying to instill some sense of worth, since polls show most Americans no longer feel the war was worth the cost?

[Jack Rabbit]

4. The black-or-white worldview of the Bushies

In the black-or-white world of the Bushies, one is either a bad guy or a good guy. Now, we are all agreed that Saddam was a bad guy. To have gotten rid of Saddam, one must be a good guy. Bush got rid of Saddam; therefore, Bush is a good guy.

Simple, no?

Perhaps that's a little too simple. For some of us the world is more complex. Saddam was a bully who beat up his kid brother and took his lunch money. Then Bush beat up Saddam. Now Bush beats up Saddam's kid brother and takes his lunch money.

So Bush is just a bigger bully.

[seabeyond]

5. i am not a fan of saddam and dont give a f*

what happens to him but.......

gassing Kurds?
for real. that will be interesting having him defend himself on this because i think the u.s. used this to convince the people to attack saddam, but there is proof was iran, during iran/iraq war. and iran didnt know the kurds had gone back to town., thought it had iraqi soldiers

suppressing Kurdish and Shiite uprisings
well, he was running the country, lol, was he suppose to let them overthrow him. is that is what is being suggested. this one just sounds stupid

and this is being just fine the repercussions coming to this man, just, seems these are not charges to go after him for

[KC21304]

6. Dangerman posted this earlier. Very interesting.

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article9045.htm

About Saddam and Kurds.

[KC21304]

7. Saddam is expected to go to trial within two months and

his attorney has not seen him since late April ?

[OneBlueSky]

8. I seriously doubt that BushCo wants a trial . . .

Saddam has too much knowledge of past US actions involving Iraq and other countries in the region that BushCo would not want to see in the headlines . . . and if he goes to trial, there would be no reason for him not to spill the beans -- ALL of them . . . which could be very embarrassing for the current and (particularly) past administrations (especially Bush I) . . .