Opening The Files: Year End Special
Saddamapalooza
I had intended to post this sometime late Saturday or early Sunday since I will be spending my New Year's corralling over indulgent revelers at my place of work. But the Iraqi's were quick to dispose of their deposed former leader.
The big buzz this weekend was of course whether or not Saddam Hussein would live to see the new year, to which we now know the answer is an emphatic 'no'. There was much speculation about when the end would come but it finally did at just before 10 pm EST. Random samplings from Meme throughout the day saw mixed reviews to his impending death. Some declared their opposition to the death penalty in general, even for someone as reviled as Saddam. Others noted the potential for a further escalation of violence just in time for Bush's eventual escalation of troop levels. At the other end of the spectrum were the warbloggers, who were practically jonesin' for a peek at video of The Butcher of Baghdad dangling from the end of a rope. They assuredly awaited its first appearance, which predictably enough came on FOX News. No dangling though. Have to wait for the unedited version to hit YouTube to get their full on jollies.
On the same day that Saddam met his maker, another US soldier was killed, bringing us ever closer to the 3,000 mark. Vice President Cheney once remarked that "the question in my mind is how many additional American casualties is Saddam worth? [..] And the answer is not very damned many."
Sadly, we've learned just how damned many that was.
Larisa Alexandrovna thinks that Saddam's death will be the spark that sets Iraq ablaze. Let's hope this ember burns itself out before it ignites the brush.
Will Bunch imagined a new Dick Clark special which has since been canceled.
Riverbend tells us about what life has become like for the average Iraqi in the post-Saddam era. Lord knows what it will be like in the now post-post-Saddam one.
And finally, Josh Marshall has the last word on what Saddam's swingin' is really about.
Update: A commenter noted that I failed to mention the countless innocent Iraqi's killed in our attempt to bring this one man to justice. As penance, I send you to Robert Fisk for his thoughts on the crimes that may never likely see justice served.
(Filed at State of the Day)
I had intended to post this sometime late Saturday or early Sunday since I will be spending my New Year's corralling over indulgent revelers at my place of work. But the Iraqi's were quick to dispose of their deposed former leader.
The big buzz this weekend was of course whether or not Saddam Hussein would live to see the new year, to which we now know the answer is an emphatic 'no'. There was much speculation about when the end would come but it finally did at just before 10 pm EST. Random samplings from Meme throughout the day saw mixed reviews to his impending death. Some declared their opposition to the death penalty in general, even for someone as reviled as Saddam. Others noted the potential for a further escalation of violence just in time for Bush's eventual escalation of troop levels. At the other end of the spectrum were the warbloggers, who were practically jonesin' for a peek at video of The Butcher of Baghdad dangling from the end of a rope. They assuredly awaited its first appearance, which predictably enough came on FOX News. No dangling though. Have to wait for the unedited version to hit YouTube to get their full on jollies.
On the same day that Saddam met his maker, another US soldier was killed, bringing us ever closer to the 3,000 mark. Vice President Cheney once remarked that "the question in my mind is how many additional American casualties is Saddam worth? [..] And the answer is not very damned many."
Sadly, we've learned just how damned many that was.
Larisa Alexandrovna thinks that Saddam's death will be the spark that sets Iraq ablaze. Let's hope this ember burns itself out before it ignites the brush.
Will Bunch imagined a new Dick Clark special which has since been canceled.
Riverbend tells us about what life has become like for the average Iraqi in the post-Saddam era. Lord knows what it will be like in the now post-post-Saddam one.
And finally, Josh Marshall has the last word on what Saddam's swingin' is really about.
Update: A commenter noted that I failed to mention the countless innocent Iraqi's killed in our attempt to bring this one man to justice. As penance, I send you to Robert Fisk for his thoughts on the crimes that may never likely see justice served.
(Filed at State of the Day)
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