The Iraqi government has now arrested a guard and is looking at other persons of interest in the taunting of Saddam Hussein at his execution, an incident that has been roundly condemned by pretty much every civilized human being on the planet.
But not, of course, by anyone in the Bush administration. The attitude there is pretty much summed up by Tony Snow, press secretary and colossal dick: "There seems to be a lot of concern about the last two minutes of Saddam Hussein's life, and less about the first sixty-nine years, in which he murdered hundreds of thousands of people."
In other words, he got what he deserved, eh, Tony?
Snow's response is typical of official Washington opinion. The State Department and the U.S. military agree, and the press seems all too willing to accept, that whatever you think of the manner in which Saddam was killed, it was all the Iraqi's doing. It's not like we had anything to do with this.
Mowaffak al-Rubaie, Iraq's besieged head of national security agrees. Yes, Rubaie was there when Saddam was hanged, and yeah, he saw people with cameras, and yeah, he heard the taunts, and yes--koffkoff--as head of national security, it could be argued that it was his job to prevent this sort of thing from happening, but, you know, Saddam was there to be executed and all, and things were happening so fast, and...and...and...Look, it's unfortunate, but these things happen.
Rumsfeld has taught you well, my son.
Back to the guy actually arrested in this matter: He was on guard duty that night. By most accounts, the taunting was coming from the witnesses, not the guards, a circus atmosphere Rubaie witnessed and allowed. If anyone should be held responsible, he'd be a good place to start, but then he might talk, and who knows where this could lead?
Rubaie is, after all, a tool, like Prime Minister Maliki, a puppet who stays in power only because the U.S. protects him. It seems incomprehensible that the Bushinistas, who had made Saddam their excuse for the whole misbegotten war, would just walk away in the moment of triumph, when the man Bush himself proclaimed Public Enemy Number One paid the ultimate penalty. Incomprehensible? I meant to say unbelievable.
If the United States had nothing to do with how this execution was carried out, if they couldn't have intervened at any time, they're even more incompetent than I thought. That the Iraqi government is so willing to take the fall for this is just further proof of how clueless they are, a delusional bunch of Renfields all too willing to serve their master.
(Incidentally, please note my Dracula metaphor there. I was going to say the Iraqi government is kind of like the Old Republic, foolishly granting unlimited powers to Palpatine, not realizing until too late that he is Sith Lord Darth Sidious...but for once, I decided not to go with a Star Wars reference. You're welcome.)
In any event, outrage over the execution, around the world and particularly in Islamic nations, seems directed more at the U.S. than Iraq. Unlike the American press, most people don't buy the official story for a minute, and with good reason. Not one of Bush's official stories has been remotely true, and this one is utterly transparent.
Not that it matters. Bush is looking to send more troops into the sinkhole, and top Democrat Carl Levin has said he "won't prejudge" Bush's plans. In other words, the president will get his way, thousands more will die and none of it will make a difference. The shiny promise of a new year has already faded. God help us all.
