From the Magazine | World Inside Saddam's World Posted Monday, May 13, 2002 The U.S. likes to portray Iraq's regime as shaky. But TIME's reporting inside Iraq suggests Saddam isn't losing his grip By JOHANNA MCGEARY/BAGHDAD Posted Monday, May 13, 2002 The mad hatter might feel at home in the Wonderland of Iraq. The day is already growing hot as lines of ramshackle buses and black-windowed Mercedes jam the normally empty highway to Tikrit, the rural hometown of Saddam Hussein. It's April 28, Saddam's 65th birthday. Crowds of military men with fat moustaches, sheiks in flowing robes and farmers in shabby pants spill onto the expansive parade ground Saddam has built for special occasions like this. High-ranking guests fill up chairs in a large pseudohistorical reviewing stand where Mussolini would have felt at home. As the guest of honor arrives, groups of schoolgirls, including a unit clad in the black face masks of suicide-bomber trainees, perform dances dedicated to Saddam's "pulse of life." Then an interminable line of marchers files through, maybe 10,000 strong, singing "Happy year to you, President Saddam Hussein, who brought victory to us." As a group of fist-waving farmers tramps past, one of its members, Abdullah, offers, "We volunteered to come to show how much we love our President." Trouble is, the man standing high above on that imposing podium is not Saddam Hussein. It's Ali Hassan al-Majid, the Saddam intimate foreigners have dubbed "Chemical Ali" for his role overseeing the 1988 poison-gas attacks that killed thousands of Iraqi Kurds. Al-Majid raises his right arm with palm open in the gesture Saddam uses, smilingly acknowledging the crowd's chants as if he were the ruler. "We sacrifice our blood, our souls for you, Saddam," the mob trills. Saddam is nowhere in sight for his Tikrit party or any of the other parades and cake cuttings orchestrated across Iraq during the six-day birthday celebration. He is, more than ever, an invisible ruler, his authority wielded from the shadows, where he hides from potential assassins. The Potemkin parties were intended to deliver a message to any Iraqi citizen feeling restive, to any foreign government contemplating his overthrow. The all-powerful puppet master can make his whole nation sing his praises as a blunt reminder: I am still here. It won't be easy to get rid of me. The Bush Administration hopes the hollowness of that birthday scene is a symbol of the true state of the archenemy's regime: brittle and rotting from within, held together only by force and bribery. The White House has concluded that Saddam poses a clear and present danger that must be eliminated. "He is a dangerous man possessing the world's most dangerous weapons," President Bush has said. "It is incumbent upon freedom-loving nations to hold him accountable, which is precisely what the United States of America will do." Beyond Bush's advisers, objective monitors too are convinced that Saddam possesses hidden chemical and biological weapons and is working feverishly to build a still elusive nuclear bomb. He's a serial aggressor. Sept. 11 probably opened Saddam's eyes to powerful and unorthodox methods of attack. Terrorists want weapons of mass destruction, and he has them. "The lesson of 9/11 for us," says a senior State Department official, "is you can't wait around."  Pentagon reviews Iraq war strategySaturday  November 11, 01:24 PMNEW YORK (Reuters) - Top U.S. military leaders have begun a broad review of strategy in Iraq and other crisis areas in the Bush administration's campaign against terrorism, The New York Times reported in Saturday editions. Citing Pentagon officials, the Times reported that Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Peter Pace had assembled a team of what it called some of the military's brightest and most innovative officers and charged them with taking a fresh look at Iraq, Afghanistan and other flashpoints. Pace announced the review in a series of television interviews on Friday but did not give many details. The New York Times said that among ideas discussed were increasing the size of the Iraqi security forces, along with U.S. efforts to train and equip them, and adjusting the size of the American force in Iraq. It added that Pentagon officials stressed that the review extended well beyond Iraq, and that some unorthodox ideas on how to fight terrorism were being weighed. The military review, which formally began September 25, is being coordinated with the rest of the government, but the team has not met with members of the Iraq Study Group, the commission that is also looking into options for Iraq, the Times said, citing the Pentagon officials. The officials said the team's objective was to outline options that Pace might draw on in advising President George W. Bush and Robert Gates, Bush's choice for the new defence secretary. The team involved in the military review includes Col. H. R. McMaster, an Army officer whose 2005 operation in Tal Afar has been cited as a textbook case in how to wage counterinsurgency in Iraq, as well as Col. Peter Mansoor, the director of the United States Army and Marine Corps Counterinsurgency Centre at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., who commanded an Army brigade that fought the Mahdi Army militia in 2004 at Karbala, the newspaper reported. Also on the team is Col. Thomas Greenwood, the director of the Marine Command and Staff College who oversaw efforts to train Iraqi security forces in Anbar, the Times said. In all, more than a dozen military officers are on the team, which is overseen by Capt. Michael Rogers of the Navy, a special assistant to Pace, the report said. The review, which includes the participation of Gen. George Casey Jr., the top commander in Iraq, and General John Abizaid, the head of the United States Central Command, is meant to be completed in early December.

Saddam Hussein Coverage Part 2

For the first part of my Saddam Hussein Hanging Coverage, CLICK HERE

Update6: Check out the Iraqi people celebrating in the streets.

Disagree with the Iraq War? Read the Case for Iraq

Major Update: The uncensored video of Saddam being hanged is now online. I have it.

Update3: I suppose that it shouldn’t surprise me, but the arab world isn’t particularly happy about the death of the murderous dictator. BBC News brings us a story:

Although the news of Saddam Hussein’s execution was widely anticipated in the region, it has been greeted with a mixture of surprise and anger in some quarters - and notable silence in others.

For many ordinary people in the Arab world, Saddam Hussein was admired if not particularly loved.

He was an active and strident supporter of the Palestinian cause and many regarded him as a strong leader who dared to defy both America and Israel. Images of the former leader having the noose pulled around his neck will shock many.

Libya has declared three days of national mourning.

Lawmakers and members of the militant Palestinian group, Hamas, have condemned the execution, with one calling it “a political assassination” that “violated international laws”.

This is revealing who our enemies are. Despite Libya giving up Weapons of Mass Destruction, they are not in any way, supporters of the United States our War on Terror. Hamas is and will always be classified as a terrorist group, and for good reason. The moment we recognize them as the actual government of Palestine, it’s the moment we’ve lost our will to fight. Saddam is dead, the Islamofascists can’t handle it.

Update2: The entire execution isn’t online yet, but there is video of Saddam being prepared to death. The picture below, with his noose fitted, is seen in the video. Misha has the video.

Update: Drudge has updated his site, and he has a picture of the tyrant ready to hang.

First off, from me, let me say, this is an end to a brutal dictator’s life. It is normal to feel that celebrating someone’s death is morbid, as God has instilled most of us with a respect for life. The Bible however says, thou shalt not murder, and there is a distinct difference between murder and justice. Today, as a tyrant has hanged, we can feel confident that we were on the right side of this moral argument, as we were carrying out justice, and doing so righteously. A new age will dawn in Iraq soon, where people can fully live in peace, and years from now, parents will tell their children what it was once like, under the Hussein regime. Those kids will never appreciate their freedoms as much as their parents are appreciating them now. A tyrant is dead, and we can rejoice.

Euphoric Reality has asked the question we’re all wondering about, “Where’s his 72 virgins?” She also shares with us the same familiar graphic and a “music video” about Saddam Hussein.

Drudge brings us a picture from the execution scene. I sense video coming before the night is out, or by tomorrow night at the latest. I’ll be bringing it to you as soon as it hits YouTube (that is, unless the idiots there decide to ban it because it’s “vulgar”). No matter what, I’ll find a way.

Misha is celebrating, and already there are plenty of comments discussing the event. His thoughts?

Break out the bubbly & the candy! It?s time to celebrate!

Meanwhile, Iraqi-Americans here in the states are celebrating. Let’s hope that the Arab world sees that not all Muslims are radical Saddam-supporting terrorist ass-wipes. They even prayed for Saddam’s death. Mighty nice of ‘em, huh? From the Houston Chronicle comes the following:

DEARBORN, Mich. ? Dozens of Iraqi-Americans gathered late Friday at a Detroit-area mosque to celebrate reports that Saddam Hussein had been executed, cheering and crying as drivers honked horns in jubilation.

Dave Alwatan wore an Iraqi flag around his shoulders and flashed a peace sign to everyone he passed at the Karbalaa Islamic Educational Center in this suburb of Detroit, a city that has one of the nation’s largest concentrations of people with roots in the Middle East.

“Peace,” he said, grinning and laughing. “Now there will be peace for my family.”

See? And liberals say there can’t be any peace through superior firepower. We came, we bombed, we captured, we went through a trial, and we executed. How hard was that? Ok, yes, it was really hard, and meant a lot of sacrifice, but that’s what happens when we want to win a war and bring peace to peoples’ minds. This is the payoff for it all.

Right Voices linked with Video: SADDAM’S EXECUTION (GRAPHIC)
Right on the Right linked with Saddam Hussein Hanging Coverage

13 Responses

1. Right on the Right » Saddam Hussein Hanging Coverage Says:
   December 30th, 2006 at 2:22 pm

   […] Update5: If you’re looking for the latest updates, including a picture of the tyrant with his noose being fitted, and links to the video of Saddam being sent to the gallows, you’re looking for Part Two of my Saddam Hanging Coverage. CLICK HERE and feel free to comment on the dictator’s death. […]

2. Stephen Says:
   December 30th, 2006 at 4:17 pm

   Burn in hell Saddam. You won’t be missed you piece of trash.

3. emma Says:
   December 30th, 2006 at 4:48 pm

   i want to see the live coverage for the whole hanging… but cool pic ….. swing baby!!!

4. jeff Says:
   December 30th, 2006 at 4:56 pm

   Call me whatever you like, but I feel that this piece of shit’s hanging should have been televised for the world to see, with a following message that his kind of people are on the way out. Everyone of the bastards that are caught will face the same punnishment.

5. Betty Says:
   December 30th, 2006 at 5:52 pm

   I would like to see the full coverage of the hanging. We need to bring this kind of justice to the U.S. We have a lot of trash in our own jails that need to be cleaned out.

6. Henri DeToi Says:
   December 30th, 2006 at 6:15 pm

   I for one think Bush is as much a war criminal as Saddam Hussein. Depending on whch side you are, some will say Saddam can burn in hell while he seemed to be praying prior to his hanging. If you are not with us, you’re evil type of thing. The war criminals on the winning side never meet justice. If you are poor or a minority in the United States you get the death penalty. So don’t give me this religious bullshit thing. All America wanted was to get the Iraki oil. Seems to be more difficult than they thought. The death penalty is WRONG, no matter against whom.

7. jason Says:
   December 30th, 2006 at 9:00 pm

   not convinced he has really been hung to be honest i wanna see the hard evidence ie rolling video footage

8. Jennie Says:
   December 31st, 2006 at 1:43 am

   Glad he is finally dead. It would be better to see it for really, show the full video so we can all enjoy seeing him die !!!!!!!!.

9. Juliet Muchavhaira Says:
   December 31st, 2006 at 7:28 am

   I agree with Henri DeToi, Bush is also not clean. Remember Jesus when people brought a woman to him who had been caught red-handed in the act of adultery and the people wanted her stoned, Jesus said, ‘Let him without sin be the fist one to throw stones’ and there was none. Who has judged Bush and found him innocent taht he should send probably his match or even worse to the gallows? I don’t condone the attrocities that Saddam did, but two wrings don’t make a right.

10. abdul Says:
    December 31st, 2006 at 8:28 am

    Yes, the Evil Dictator is Dead, But what about George W Bush & Tony Blair They should be tried of War Crimes for an Unjustified War in Iraq. Many more people are being killed since Pre Saddam Iraq.
    Hanging Saddam Hussain will Only Stir up the Fire even more, the world in definetly not a safer place now, mankind will destroy himself and the world, for what cause, Greed, power and Wealth.

11. kenneth Says:
    December 31st, 2006 at 10:01 am

    A man put to death is but yet another crime to humanity. But this one should have been broadcast in HD worldwide. we should have been the one to do it. The only fear is that the comming year will hold more tragic loss of life to americans in the long fight for freedom abroad. FIGHTING FOR PEACE IS IMPOSSIBLE. And in order to achieve this how many Fathers, Sons, Brothers, Uncles, Cousins, and Freinds must die for the right to be free. To all the Millitary personell overseas, Keep your spirits high And you Heads down low, it cant be easy having a Red White and Blue target on your back. May god Bring them all hone safely…….

12. Right Voices » Blog Archive » Video: SADDAM’S EXECUTION (GRAPHIC) Says:
    December 31st, 2006 at 11:17 am

    […] Right on the Right ? Saddam Hussein Coverage Part 2 […]

13. Janie Coulter Says:
    December 31st, 2006 at 12:28 pm

    A great and wise President Bush went to Iraq, now Saddam is dead by legal means. A good day for the world.
    At some point in the future everyone will know that Bush made the right choice for taking him out.
    I would like to see a video of Saddam’s hanging.
    The American news casters should show it, but they won’t because that would raise President Bush’s approvel rating.

Celebrations on the streets of Iraq after the execution of Saddam Huissen

Witness to an execution

Hussein, a brutal dictator -CNN

Hussein death impact


Hussein timeline

Hussein's legacy

People gathering on the streets in Iraq after Saddam's execution