Saddam Hussein was hanged late last night. (WP, NYT)
What does it mean?
It’s an important step, moreso for the Iraqi people than for the rest of the world. When the Iraqis saw the video it must have been a psychological milestone for the people that suffered his wrath for decades.
As Sen. Biden said late last night…
Iraq has closed one of the darkest chapters in its history and rid the world of a tyrant. Every effort was made to afford Saddam the judicial rights he denied to the 148 innocent victims of Dujail and to hundreds of thousands of other Iraqis during his brutal reign. I hope that the families of his many victims can now begin the healing process.
Now let’s get something else clear: his death is not some new justification for the war. Right-wing pundits were all over the tele this morning talking about how this was some newfound justification for the war. It’s a step in the right direction, and a big one. But Saddam had been in our custody for three years, and for almost all three years this war has been going downhill.
Let’s hope last night’s events don’t have too much of an impact on President Bush’s mini-summit in Crawford, where he’s supposed to come up with some sort of change in course for Iraq.
–ASM
