Curious timing for the Hussein verdict, eh?

[1932]

Is there any question that that is going to help Republicans?

It will be the only thing on the news the next three days.

Remember how, in '04, the only story the last three days was about missing explosives in Iraq (implying that they might be used in the US)?

[nadinbrzezinski]

1. If iraq explodes in violence you can bet

it will be in the news, and not the way the right wing wants it

[mitchum]

16. No "if" about it, Iraq WILL explode in even more violence...

however, the lapdog MSM won't cover it

[Freedom_from_Chains]

2. I don't find anything curious about it

The GOP is desperate for anything that might save this election for them. I mean it is so bad that Bush was even on Rush's show the other day. Now that is scraping the bottom of the barrel.

[NanceGreggs]

3. Just listening to the CNN coverage ...

... talking about Saddam's defence and how it won't fly - killed people he considered to be 'terrorists', targeted innocent civilians including women and children, torture ...

Saddam's heinous crimes, as being recounted, sound VERY FAMILIAR ...

If this was timed by the GOP to be a boost for votes, this was undoubtedly their worst mis-step yet.

[1932]

4. that's what you would have thought about the '04 missing explosives story.

Democrats loved it. The were willing to talk only about that story for the last couple days because they thought it meant Bush was screwing up Iraq.

I think it didn't work out that way. I think a lot of people thought, in times of danger, it's better to have a president who shoots first and asks questions later rather than one Republicans could easily characterize as wanting to submit these questions to 'global tests.' I also think it sucked the oxygen out of the room for discussions that could have benefited Democrats.

I think that the Republicans believe that the more people are thinking about Iraq, the better it is for Republican's chances.

Yes, there is a risk that that could backfire for them. But I suspect that Republicans would be happier, 9 times out of 10, if all the news the last three days of an election were about Iraq.

[NanceGreggs]

7. The memos went out weeks ago ...

... to all Republican candidates: "Don't talk about Iraq."

The Iraq fiasco is the LAST thing they want connected with them. Risk that it will backfire? They'd be HAPPIER if the news for three days was about IRAQ????

Where have you been?

[1932]

10. Someone tell NPR because their Generation Next series has been

all about 24 year old Republicans talking about Iraq. And tell Bush and Cheney, because they're running around telling voters that Democrats are dangerous and their attitude toward Iraq proves it. And tell O'Reilly because he was on Letterman the other night asking him if he wants to win in Iraq.

If a memo went out, everyone seems to have thrown it in the trash.

[NanceGreggs]

15. There literally was a memo ...

... which was widely discussed, here and elsewhere, that went out to GOP candidates warning them not to talk about Iraq, but to focus on more positive things like the (allegedly) booming economy.

When Bush started his cross-country campaigning, he was talking about Iraq, the "progress" being made, blah, blah. Within days, he switched tacks and started talking about that booming economy again. This was when the news was coming in about the mounting US casualties, and it was obvious that it was going to be one of the bloodiest months yet.

They probably figured that if they were ahead in the polls by this point, they could gussie up Saddam's verdict as a big victory - icing on what they hoped would be an already existent wave of support for Republicans.

On the other hand, as things have turned out, they've run out of talking points - and focusing on Iraq now might not help, but if they're already on a losing streak, what the hell.

If they want to brag about their "success" in Iraq right now, I couldn't be happier. At this point, there isn't enough lipstick in the world to pretty up that pig - they've been rapidly losing support from their own on the issue for a long time now.

This is just another sign, IMHO, of the GOP being in "their last throes".

[Skittles]

5. now that most Americans know he wasn't involved in 9/11

I don't see how this helps repukes

[1932]

6. Because talking about Iraq means you're not talking about

a lot of other stuff.

I also think that a significant number of Americans see Iraq as something that makes them accept a lot of other crappiness (eg, "my job and wages suck, but we're at war, and we gotta solve that problem first").

I also really believe that the story about the missing explosives before the Nov 04 election was total bullshit. I think it was meant to be received as "gosh, they might use those explosives to blow up something in an American city; thank god we have a president who shoots first and asks questions later and not one who'd submit this to a global test."

I do believe that chaos in Iraq does cut both ways. People do begin to wonder if getting rid of Republicans might be the solution to that problem. But I also believe that, if the news the next three days were all about Sadaam's conviction, it would be hard for Democrats to get their message across.

[Skittles]

8. talking about IRAQ is EXACTLY WHAT WE NEED

there is no lipstick for that pig, NONE

[1932]

9. Did you think talking about missing explosives from Oct 30-Nov 2 '04

was exactly what Democrats needed then?

I agree that we need to talk about American foreign and domestic policy and about all the ways pursuing military empire and imperialism eats away at the soul (and the bank account) of America.

But that's not the discussion we'd be having if the news spent the next three days talking about a Hussein conviction.

And I'm curious of how an acquittal would be presented to Americans.

But I'd rather spend the next couple of days letting Democrats unfold the strategies they have planned and which seem to be working so far, rather than have this curveball thrown in.

[Skittles]

11. I think Americans have caught onto the manipulation and are sick of it

SICK of it

[1932]

12. Well, we won't have to speculate about this.

It's happening. Let's see what the Republicans try to do with this and let's see if voters finally say enough is enough.

[nadinbrzezinski]

13. What is curious is that bechtel chose to close all

its opearations in Iraq TODAY... coincidence? NOT

[OneBlueSky]

14. Saddam's crimes against humanity, while heinous, pale next to . . .

those of George W. Bush . . .

who, unlike Saddam, is still perpetrating them -- with more on the horizon . . .