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Politics : Politics for Pros- moderated -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: LindyBill who wrote (20022)	12/15/2003 2:55:16 PM
From: LindyBill	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 793682

Hang him at "Gitmo?" December 15, 2003 U.S. to Work With Iraqis to Decide How to Bring Justice By DAVID STOUT - New York Times WASHINGTON, Dec. 15 — A triumphant President Bush said today that the United States would work with Iraqis to bring Saddam Hussein to justice in a way "that will stand international scrutiny." But in saying that the Iraqi people "need to be very much involved" in bringing the deposed dictator to trial and deciding upon the appropriate punishment for his crimes, Mr. Bush gave no indication whatever that the United States would yield control over Mr. Hussein. Asked if he had a message to give to Mr. Hussein, Mr. Bush replied, "Good riddance; the world is better off without you." The president pledged that Mr. Hussein would be given better and fairer treatment than he ever dispensed in his years in power. Although he made no effort to conceal his deep contempt for the former Iraqi leader, Mr. Bush declined to say what he thought the punishment should be, and whether he thought putting the dictator to death might be appropriate. "I've got my own personal views of how he ought to be treated," Mr. Bush told reporters at a late-morning news conference. "It's going to be up to the Iraqis to make those decisions." "And the question of execution?" a reporter asked. "Yeah, I said I have my own personal views," Mr. Bush replied. "And this is a brutal dictator. He's a person who killed a lot of people." While Mr. Hussein will continue to be questioned by his captors, Mr. Bush said he doubted that the answers would be truthful. "He's a deceiver, he's a liar," Mr. Bush said. The president called the weekend capture of Mr. Hussein "a transforming event" not only for Iraq but for the cause of peace in the Middle East and around the world. But he said that while Iraq was well on the path to freedom, more work remained to be done there and the violence was not over. "The terrorists in Iraq remain dangerous," Mr. Bush said. "The work of our coalition remains difficult and will require further sacrifice." Accordingly, Mr. Bush said, he could not promise an early homecoming for United States troops despite the relief that has spread through that country since the once-powerful Mr. Hussein was captured, scruffy and bedraggled, in a dirt hole. "We're going to stay the course," the president said, declining to set a timetable. Not until 25 minutes into the news conference was Mr. Bush asked a question about the failure, so far, to find chemical and biological weapons and other weapons of mass destruction — one of the main rationales for taking the United States to war in Iraq last March. Mr. Bush replied that Mr. Hussein had used chemical weapons before. That was an apparent reference to the use of poison gas against Kurds in Iraq. He said, too, that Mr. Hussein was indisputably in violation of United Nations resolutions that he abandon weapons programs. The president called the former dictator "a torturer and a killer." And while no link has been established between the former Iraqi dictatorship and the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Mr. Bush again characterized the military campaign in Iraq as part of a wider war against terrorism. "My job is to keep America secure," he said. "I will never forget the lessons of Sept. 11, 2001. Terrorists attacked us. They killed thousands of our fellow citizens. And it could happen again. And therefore, I will deal with threats, threats that are emerging and real." While the capture of Mr. Hussein is undeniably a cause of great celebration in the White House, Mr. Bush declined to talk about how it might influence his re-election bid. There will be time enough for politics later, he said: "I look forward to making my case to the American people." The president clearly hopes that the capture of Saddam Hussein will create momentum he can use when Congress reconvenes in January. "I've got a few ideas about what we can do together in the year 2004," he said. nytimes.com