Saddam Hussein has requested that if the verdict from his first trial, due to be presented on the 5th of November, is for his death then he wants a specific style of execution.
Namely, blindfolded and tied to a post before a firing squad.
The timing of the verdict was been moved to the 5th of November, allegedly because the judges were having trouble making their minds up. Now here's the funny thing, the revised date is just two days before the US midterms.
Some cynics have suggested that President Bush has "requested" this date so as to maximise the political gain for the Republican Party, which currently faces a well deserved drubbing from the electorate for its criminally incompetent handling of the invasion and post Saddam occupation of Iraq.
It would be somewhat ironic if the verdict were "not guilty". I guess though, President Bush has been assured by those in the know that the verdict will be "guilty".
Friday, October 27, 2006
Thursday, October 26, 2006
We're Winning
Despite declaring "Mission Accomplished!" a couple of years ago, President Bush has now stated that "Absolutely, we're winning..".
This of course contradicts "mission accomplished" (ie job done) and the actual situation of the ground in Iraq, which is now embroiled in a low level civil war.
The reality of course makes uncomfortable viewing for the President, as mid terms will be held in less than two weeks; where it is expected that the Republican party will be on the receiving end of a well deserved drubbing from the voters, for the mess that they have inflicted on the Iraqi people and the servicemen who are dying for a lost cause.
President Bush has used recent press conferences to "very magnanimously" state that he is not satisfied, and to tease the audience and voters that he is aware of their concerns and that there will be change of course.
I think it unlikely that this President will voluntarily change course, people who receive their instructions direct from God tend not to be very flexible.
A change of course will happen, once the reality of partition takes place and there is no longer an Iraq to stabilise. In the meantime, many more innocent people and servicemen will die.
However, the soap opera of Saddam's trials will continue. It is quite possible that by the time the trials have finished, Iraq will have ceased to exist and there will be no lawful body to carry out the sentence.
Mission accomplished!
This of course contradicts "mission accomplished" (ie job done) and the actual situation of the ground in Iraq, which is now embroiled in a low level civil war.
The reality of course makes uncomfortable viewing for the President, as mid terms will be held in less than two weeks; where it is expected that the Republican party will be on the receiving end of a well deserved drubbing from the voters, for the mess that they have inflicted on the Iraqi people and the servicemen who are dying for a lost cause.
President Bush has used recent press conferences to "very magnanimously" state that he is not satisfied, and to tease the audience and voters that he is aware of their concerns and that there will be change of course.
I think it unlikely that this President will voluntarily change course, people who receive their instructions direct from God tend not to be very flexible.
A change of course will happen, once the reality of partition takes place and there is no longer an Iraq to stabilise. In the meantime, many more innocent people and servicemen will die.
However, the soap opera of Saddam's trials will continue. It is quite possible that by the time the trials have finished, Iraq will have ceased to exist and there will be no lawful body to carry out the sentence.
Mission accomplished!
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
A Twist of Fate
In an unusual twist of fate, on the assumption that Saddam Hussein is not executed before next month's US mid terms (7th November), Saddam may in fact witness the denouement of his nemesis President Bush.
According to a poll in Monday's Washington Post independents, who make up around 33% of the electorate, say that they will vote for Democrats rather than Republicans by a margin of 59% to 31%.
The reason?
The failure of the Iraq mission, and the civil war that the "mission" has caused in Iraq.
The Republican Party is facing defeat in Congress, and quite possibly defeat in the Senate. Although Bush still has two more years in office, were he defeated in both Congress and the Senate his remaining two years in office would be thoroughly miserable as he would effectively be "castrated" politically.
We shall see.
According to a poll in Monday's Washington Post independents, who make up around 33% of the electorate, say that they will vote for Democrats rather than Republicans by a margin of 59% to 31%.
The reason?
The failure of the Iraq mission, and the civil war that the "mission" has caused in Iraq.
The Republican Party is facing defeat in Congress, and quite possibly defeat in the Senate. Although Bush still has two more years in office, were he defeated in both Congress and the Senate his remaining two years in office would be thoroughly miserable as he would effectively be "castrated" politically.
We shall see.
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Saddam May Be Called To The Netherlands
A Dutch appeals court has indicated that it is studying the possibility of hearing testimony from Saddam Hussein as a witness in the appeals case of Frans Van Anraat a Dutch businessman, convicted for supplying chemicals used in gas attacks on Kurdish villages in Iraq in the 1980's.
Lawyers for Van Anraat have asked that Saddam and his cousin Ali Hassan al-Majid be called as witnesses.
The appeals court has asked an investigative judge to see if Saddam and other members of his regime could be heard "in the short term".
Van Anraat was sentenced to 15 years in prison, on December 23 2005, on charges of abetting war crimes.
Van Anraat lived as a fugitive in Iraq for 14 years, until the US invasion in 2003.
The date for the decision as to whether to call Saddam has not been released.
Lawyers for Van Anraat have asked that Saddam and his cousin Ali Hassan al-Majid be called as witnesses.
The appeals court has asked an investigative judge to see if Saddam and other members of his regime could be heard "in the short term".
Van Anraat was sentenced to 15 years in prison, on December 23 2005, on charges of abetting war crimes.
Van Anraat lived as a fugitive in Iraq for 14 years, until the US invasion in 2003.
The date for the decision as to whether to call Saddam has not been released.
Monday, October 23, 2006
Mis-spoken
Alberto Fernandez, a senior US state department official was quoted on al-Jazeera as saying that the US has shown "arrogance and stupidity" in Iraq.
Needless to say, the State Department were quick to try to "rubbish" this. A State Department spokesman, Sean McCormack, said:
"What he [Alberto Fernandez] says is that it is not an accurate quote."
However, the BBC Arabic language experts the said that Mr Fernandez did indeed use the words.
Therefore, in a second attempt to "gloss over" this, Mr Fernandez has now said that he mis-spoke.
It is assumed that he has been told to say this.
Meanwhile CBS News has reported that $800M, earmarked to fight the insurgency in Iraq, had been stolen by people running the country's Ministry of Defence before the 2005 elections.
As ever, the body count also continues to mount.
Mission accomplished!
Pah!
Needless to say, the State Department were quick to try to "rubbish" this. A State Department spokesman, Sean McCormack, said:
"What he [Alberto Fernandez] says is that it is not an accurate quote."
However, the BBC Arabic language experts the said that Mr Fernandez did indeed use the words.
Therefore, in a second attempt to "gloss over" this, Mr Fernandez has now said that he mis-spoke.
It is assumed that he has been told to say this.
Meanwhile CBS News has reported that $800M, earmarked to fight the insurgency in Iraq, had been stolen by people running the country's Ministry of Defence before the 2005 elections.
As ever, the body count also continues to mount.
Mission accomplished!
Pah!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)