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Politics : Don't Blame Me, I Voted For Kerry -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: ChinuSFO who wrote (77712)	6/27/2006 10:36:38 PM
From: Richnorth	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 81568

How likely will it be for Saddam to be asked to help end the Iraq quagmire? “U.S. will beg for Saddam’s help” 6/26/2006 11:00:00 AM GMT Saddam Hussein knows that he will be executed following the Dujail trial, but believes that the United States will eventually use the death sentence to pressure him to help curb violence in war-torn Iraq, his chief lawyer said. In an interview with the New York Times, Khalil al-Dulaimi, said that Saddam “knows the (death) sentence has been issued from Washington, and if there is an even greater punishment than the death sentence, he'll get it." But al-Dulaimi said that the toppled Iraqi leader believes that he is the U.S.’s “last resort… They're going to knock at his door eventually.” "The death penalty is political blackmail to pressure President Saddam to help the American forces out of their predicament in Iraq and to rescue it from the mess it created there,” he added. Saddam is "the only person who can stop the resistance against the U.S. troops,” al-Dulaimi stressed, adding that the toppled leader even believes that Washington might reinstall him a president of Iraq. The chief lawyer also said that deteriorating relations with Iran is the reason behind Saddam’s belief, adding: "The Iranian influence is a threat to American interests. ... The only person standing in the face of Iran, which is the enemy of America, is Saddam Hussein." Al-Dulaimi said that Saddam raised the issue during a meeting last week, and indicated that he would be willing to help the United States — "for the sake of saving both peoples — the Iraqis and Americans." He quoted Saddam as saying: "These puppets in the Iraqi government that the Americans brought to power are helpless. They can't protect themselves or the Iraqi people. The Americans will certainly come to me, to Saddam Hussein's legitimate leadership and to the Iraqi Baath Party, to rescue them from their huge quandary." There is no indication that U.S. officials have considered seeking Saddam’s help. But al-Dulaimi said that Saddam might negotiate such help by using the verdict in his trial as a bargaining chip. The former Iraqi president also predicated that Iraq would "flourish within five years," saying that this was the time needed for reconstruction that would transform the country into the envy of the region, al-Dulaimi said. Saddam and his co-defendants are accused of launching a crackdown that led to the execution of 148 Shias in the village of Dujail following a 1982 failed assassination attempt on the deposed leader. All the accused have pleaded not guilty to the charges. Saddam is also expected to stand a second trial on charges of genocide against the Kurds in the 1980s, which could also end with the death penalty. The Dujail trial has been adjourned and judges will consider their verdict after final defense arguments on July 10. Al-Dulaimi said that defense lawyers will argue that nearly a third of the 148 deaths for which Saddam is facing trial for died under other circumstances or the "victims" were not actually dead. The other executions were ordered by Saddam in accordance with Iraqi law, he added. International human rights groups say Saddam's trial is being conducted well below international legal standards. And legal experts say that the defense had been given a short period to present its witnesses. The trial has also been marred by the killing of two defense lawyers and the resignation of the first chief judge in January. .

To: ChinuSFO who wrote (77712)	6/28/2006 12:48:41 AM
From: Nadine Carroll	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 81568

A Muslim builds mosques and has respect for the Koran just like Saddam. This answer is so absurd even you can't buy it. Saddam did not build the occasional mosque; he went on a mosque building spree - littering Iraq with 50 huge grandiose mosques, all since 1991. He added a verse from the Koran to the Iraqi flag, and suddenly became very pious on TV (something Saddam and the Ba'ath party were NOT noted for previously). He even had a Koran written in his own blood, which is actually blasphemous. All to claim the Caliphate in addition to secular rule.