Justice Was Done

President Bush, in reaction to the show trial "lynching" of Saddam Hussein, has said:

"I wish, obviously that the proceedings had gone in a more dignified way.

But my personal reaction is that Saddam Hussein was given a trial that he was unwilling to give the thousands of people he killed."

So that's alright then!

Bush conveniently ignores that fact that the trial was flawed, and that Saddam was still being tried for other offences.

Evidently Bush's "moral compass" has temporarily deserted him.

Bush should also remember that Saddam was in US custody. The US handed Saddam over to the Iraqis for execution. It therefore should be assumed that the US was confident that the execution would not be turned into a public sectarian "lynching", the fact that it was makes the US culpable in this farce.

Bush has stated that he expects a full investigation into the "lynching".

Will that investigation also cover the decision by the US to hand Saddam over in the first place?

Bush might be "buying" into the convenience of Saddam's trail and execution, but the UN isn't.

Italy has condemned the death penalty as "barbaric", and is trying to raise the issue by calling for a "universal moratorium" on capital punishment.

If Italy, which became a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council in January, decides to take the initiative, a resolution on the proposed moratorium could go before the UN General Assembly.

The UN's High Commissioner for Human Rights, Louise Arbour, made an appeal to Iraqi President Jalal Talabani asking him to spare the lives of two former colleagues of Saddam, who are due to be executed later this week.

Quote:

"The concerns I expressed just days ago with respect to the fairness and impartiality of Saddam Hussein's trial apply also to these two defendants."

The "new" Iraq has blotted its copy book, thanks to the impatience of the US to eliminate the person who knew the most about the sources of funds and armaments during the Saddam era.

Mission accomplished!