From almost any viewpoint, including that of opponents of the war such as myself, the capture of Saddam Hussein, represents good news, made better by the ignominy of his surrender. When the Iraq war and its justifications , spurious and otherwise, are forgotten, the image of the great dictator being dug out of the hole in which he had hidden will remain, along with the inglorious ends of Mussolini, Hitler, Ceausescu, and others, as a warning to those who might plan to follow the same path.
{ 8 comments }
Jeffrey Kramer 12.15.03 at 4:35 am
I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry to say this, but you might as well declare that “the image of the crime boss riddled with bullets will remain, along with the inglorious ends of Dutch Schultz, Albert Anastasia and others, as a warning to those who might plan to follow the same path.” Don’t count on any shortage of applicants for either job in the near future.
cs 12.15.03 at 5:33 am
John, must say, your type looks big in this get-up.
JP 12.15.03 at 6:19 am
And don’t forget Pinochet. Oh wait…
alan 12.15.03 at 7:35 am
Salvador Allende was sobering example. Of something.
Hal 12.15.03 at 7:46 am
Indeed. Sharing a filthy hole with a rat, tightly clutching the currency of the regime he fought. Looking like a mangy dog.
That is the image that should burn bright in history.
Conrad Barwa 12.15.03 at 7:48 am
the image of the great dictator being dug out of the hole in which he had hidden will remain, along with the inglorious ends of Mussolini, Hitler, Ceausescu, and others, as a warning to those who might plan to follow the same path.
I would like to think so, but I doubt that this will be case. Many of these dictators are essentially opportunists; what will deter them is not the consequences of what will happen should they be defeated but the actual likelihood of being brought to account. I don’t think the major reason why SH was toppled was because he was a tyrant; there are many others currently in power, some of whom are allied to the US, and are busy oppressing their populace; for whom I am afraid, liberty will not be arriving on the back of an Abrams tank anytime soon.
I like the Ozymandias reference but I wonder whether it is entirely appropriate. Doesn’t it indicate more the simple transitory nature of all power from a historical point of view, rather than suggest that those who wield it unwisely will ultimately fail. It seems to me a rather more amoral piece, in that all rulers good or bad will in the end meet the same fate by the sands of time. Kind of depressing really.
The Tapir 12.15.03 at 1:27 pm
“From almost any viewpoint, including that of opponents of the war such as myself, the capture of Saddam Hussein, represents good news, made better by the ignominy of his surrender. ”
Thank you for your optimism, but there’s another perspective on how this will be received by a substantial minority (?) on the left:
“Let’s Hope Something Goes Wrong – and Soon!”
TomD 12.15.03 at 2:55 pm
The post linked to by the tapir is an egregious piece of straw man bashing. It’s a ‘perspective’ in the sense that a work of fiction is a ‘report’.
Can you find any influential or popular voices on the left who are saying “the capture of Saddam is bad news”? No you can’t. What you can find is someone on the right who are using this as an opportunity to bash his own caricature of the left.
I propose the verb “Sullivate” to describe someone who condemns their political opponents in advance for the statements that they are going to make. Don’t wait to see what ‘the left’ actually says, make something up and start bashing them for it right now!
Comments on this entry are closed.