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December 21, 2005
From The "Yeah Right" Department
This week, former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein has returned to court in Baghdad for his trial, and the circus atmosphere has returned with him.
In an especially delicious bit of irony, Saddam suddenly claimed today that he has been beaten and tortured by his American captors since his incarceration two years ago. This charge from a man who indiscriminately tortured and murdered thousands of his own countrymen, and who got quite a makeover -- new suit, shave, dye job -- between his capture and appearance in court. Give us a break.
Sorry folks, think what you will about the Bush administration or the Iraq War -- Saddam's claims strike us as highly dubious. There's always a chance he's telling the truth we suppose, and the U.S. most certainly is facing legitimate claims of abuse from some ordinary Iraqis, but the nature and timing of Saddam's accusations just don't pass the smell test.
First of all, had he been abused, wouldn't it have better served his cause of rallying Iraqis to his side and poisoning the trial to disclose such abuse from the get-go? Second, U.S. personnel clearly understand the importance of this trial and the magnifying lense under which it is being conducted -- television, etc. That they would jeopardize a case with such high stakes and so high-profile a defendent strains credibility, to put it mildly. Finally, Saddam's wildly erratic behavior during his trial, not to mention a long history of such behavior throughout his reign, hardly gives one reason to trust a thing he says.
Interesting that Saddam's accusations surfaced only in immediate response to today's horrifying, graphic descriptions of his own regime's torturing of Iraqis over 20 years ago. Saddam and his supporters wasted no time, we might add, before berating prosecution witnesses, even calling one a "dog".
Saddam, who only recently (and conveniently) seems to have rekindled his Islamic faith, even began praying aloud after the judge refused to halt the trial for a prayer.
Sure, there's always a chance Saddam's claims of abuse and torture are legitimate, but given his well-defined pattern of behavior so far, don't bet on it.
Posted by houtopia at December 21, 2005 01:55 PM