Saddam and Election Day

I lost a bet when the verdict - and sentence - came down on Saddam Hussein. I'd bet five bucks he would be acquitted because "he's a Muslim - one of us," and he'd be released and back in office just like Osama was allowed to escape to his cave.

Now, the Current Occupant of the White house and his cronies are betting this will (a) signal the end of the war in Iraq and (b) signal the American voters that "holding the course" is the only proper way to vote tomorrow because that will make us all safer from terrorists. "Holding the course" will appeal to a lot of voters. Making us safer? Ending the war? Don't count on it.

Most of our European "allies" (so to speak) are opposed to putting the man to death. Why turn him into a martyr? Good question. Martyrs have this annoying habit of remaining "alive" in human consciousness for centuries. About 30 percent of Iraqis are Sunnis, and most of them will carry the desire to avenge the death of Saddam into the 22nd Century and beyond. Let him rot in jail.

The coincidence (?) that the decision came down two days before Election Day looks an awful lot like more than a coincidence to us cynics. This, from the Gainesville (FL) Sun: "The White House said the timing of the announcement, two days before Election Day, had nothing to do with American politics and had been dictated by the Iraqi court. But Bush moved quickly to put it to use in what has been his central strategic imperative over the past week: trying to rouse Republican voters to turn out." (Italics added.) If you believe the timing had nothing to do with American politics, I know of some waterfront property in Florida you should buy from me.

Meanwhile, the official newspapers of all of the branches of the American armed forces have issued a joint editorial calling for Secretary of War Rumsfeld to leave. That is truly remarkable. If the Current Occupant had sacked Rummy two years ago in favor of a secretary who listened to the generals and who had an objective larger than dumping Saddam, he might have a legacy worth saving. He didn't, and he doesn't.