Iraq – Page 3 – the _

[1094] Of Earthly Strip: Four years of credible intel

There has been talk that the Bush administration might conduct an airstrike — or something greater in force — against Iran. I do think that the President is building a case in that direction. In the New York Times earlier:

WASHINGTON, Feb. 14 — President Bush said Wednesday that he was certain that factions within the Iranian government had supplied Shiite militants in Iraq with deadly roadside bombs that had killed American troops. But he said he did not know whether Iran’s highest officials had directed the attacks.

Mr. Bush’s remarks amounted to his most specific accusation to date that Iran was undermining security in Iraq. They appeared to be part of a concerted effort by the White House to present a clearer, more direct case that Iran was supplying the potent weapons — and to push back against criticism that the intelligence used in reaching the conclusions was not credible.

I think:

Some rights reserved by Mohd Hafiz Noor Shams. Photo of President Bush by NYT. Copyrights by NYT. Fair use.

Pardon me while I burst…

[1027] Of turning a dictator into a martyr

Scattered sources according to CNN on TV have reported that Saddam Hussein has been executed by hanging:

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) — Former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein has been executed, according to two Arabic language media outlets.

Hussein was hanged before dawn on Saturday in Iraq, at about 6 a.m. (10 p.m. Friday ET), the U.S.-backed Al-Hurra television reported.

Al-Arabiya reported that Barzan Hassan, Hussein’s half-brother, and Awad Bandar, former chief justice of the Revolutionary Court, were hanged after Hussein. All three were convicted of killings in the Iraqi town of Dujail nearly 25 years ago.

The odd thing about the execution is that, it turns a tyrant into a hero.

A lesson: without a fair trial, or at the very least the perception of a fair trial, any judgment passed by a court is invalid.

Regardless, I personally believe that mercy would have been a better example.

And how does the execution affect the situation in Iraq?

Given the circumstances, I doubt it is for the better.