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Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: DuckTapeSunroof who wrote (587134)	7/2/2004 5:40:02 AM
From: PROLIFE	Read Replies (4) \| Respond to of 769670

SADDAM IN THE DOCK -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Email Archives Print Reprint July 2, 2004 -- Saddam Hussein tried to strike a defi ant pose yesterday as he appeared be fore the bar of justice to hear the criminal charges against him — sounding for all the world like Michael Moore as he railed on about "the theatrical comedy" being staged "by Bush, the criminal, in an attempt to win the election." We'll see if he's still so arrogant a few months from now, once the world has been reminded, through what promises to be compelling eyewitness testimony, of his horrific crimes. Saddam (still claiming to be Iraq's president) and 11 of his top deputies are now in the legal custody of Baghdad's new interim government, which has begun the process that will see this dirty dozen placed on public trial early next year. At a hearing Wednesday, a number of the defendants were reported to be visibly nervous. That's understandable: They have a lot for which to answer. As for Saddam, his lawyers say he plans to challenge the upcoming trial's legality on the grounds that, having been overthrown by an "illegal invasion," he remains Iraq's president and thus has diplomatic immunity. He'll learn the truth soon enough. This week's formal transfer of legal authority means that Saddam no longer is considered a prisoner of war, with full Geneva Conventions protection. He and his ex-aides are now criminal defendants, answerable solely to Iraqi law. It's a critical moment for Iraq's new government, which must demonstrate that it has a credible justice system if it hopes to establish a true democracy. Thus, Baghdad's new regime plans to broadcast the trial live, so that the world can see "what Saddam has done to virtually every person, every individual in the country," according to Iraq's National Security Advisor Moufawak al-Rubaie. Still, that hasn't quieted those who are charging that any trial of Saddam Hussein would be a star-chamber proceeding. Emmanuel Ludot, a French (what else?) member of Saddam's defense team, complained that "it will be a court of vengeance, a settling of scores." And, indeed, Iraq's new president announced that the death penalty, suspended during the U.S. occupation, is being reinstated. But then, the Nuremberg trials that took place after World War II might also accurately be described as a settling of scores with Hitler's henchmen. Making criminals answer for their murderous crimes does not automatically imply an unfair trial. Indeed, said the White House, Saddam "will get the kind of justice he denied his own people." As Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi noted, the 35 years of Baathist rule in Iraq produced a death toll that ranks with the most abominable killing fields of the 20th century. "More than a million Iraqis are missing as the result of events that occurred during the former regime," he said Tuesday. "Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis of all religions and ethnic groups are believed to be buried in mass graves." And no one has yet faced justice for these crimes, including the poison-gas attack on the Kurds of Halabja in 1988, or the massacre of 8,000 Kurds after the first Gulf War more than a decade ago. At a time when episodes like Abu Ghraib have critics of the war, both here and abroad, muttering about U.S. "war crimes," the trial of Saddam Hussein will help remind the world precisely who the real criminals were in Iraq. nypost.com

To: DuckTapeSunroof who wrote (587134)	7/2/2004 6:18:06 AM
From: JDN	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 769670

You know, this is just another example of NAIVITY on the part of people who dont have a damn idea of how to fight terrorism. "Instead of marshaling the nation's resources and the support of our allies for a sustained, all-out campaign aimed at destroying Al Qaeda and its offshoots, President Bush launched the war in Iraq and turned that country into a breeding ground for such terrorists." That sounds oh so smart, till one asks the question, how in the hell would you fight the terrorists when they just go to safe havens like Iran, Iraq, Pakistan etc and SIT. There is only ONE WAY to fight terrorism effectively, it must be a GLOBAL EFFORT with NO COUNTRY a safe haven. Every member of the UN should support it and allow anti terrorist forces free reign to enter their country and root out the devils. jdn