From The Rocky Mountain News, 12/18/03:
http://rockymountainnews.com/drmn/news_columnists/article/0,1299,DRMN_86_2513515,00.html
Feel-good story has disturbingly hollow ring
By Mike Littwin
The Saddam Hussein capture is the ultimate conventional wisdom story.
You know, in which the story line seems obvious unless you actually
take the time to think about it.
For instance, as soon as it became known the bedraggled
definitely-ex-tyrant had been dragged from his hole, the TV anchors
began telling us of the great celebrations in the streets of Iraq.
It turns out there were some celebrations, but no one was going to
confuse them with, say, VJ Day in Times Square.
So, the interesting question, which doesn't fit the story line at all,
is what happened to the post-Saddam parades.
After all, this guy is a legitimate monster, who killed and tortured
literally hundreds of thousands, and now would be made to pay.
For answers, check out a recent Los Angeles Times piece by Laura King
reporting from Baghdad.
King talked to many Iraqis, including Hashim Hassan, an Iraqi
journalist who had been imprisoned under Saddam.
In a quote typical of many in the story, Hassan said:
"When I heard what had happened, I wept, and do you know why? Not for
being sad over what happened to me, and not for being glad that he was
getting what he deserved. Because it was an American soldier, not an
Iraqi, doing this."
According to King, Hassan showed what "doing this" meant - taking
Saddam by the neck and yanking him from the spider hole.
The man who had humiliated Iraqis was being humiliated by Americans -
and right there on Iraqi TV sets.
And even if it was Saddam Hussein, it was still an Arab being
humiliated by Americans.
For many Iraqis, that doesn't sound like a party.
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"Capture" of Saddam? Check out;
Bloomberg, 12/21/03:
http://quote.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000103&sid=aUBP42FLX880&refer=us
Harry
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