Two days before the U.S. midterm elections, serial genocider Saddam Hussein was found guilty for crimes against humanity and sentenced to death by hanging.
Democrats and conspiracy theorists have hit the airwaves accusing the Bush administration of rigging the timing of the verdict to coincide with the midterm elections. After all, the Republicans need all the help they can get to keep their lock on power in the House and Senate, and good news coming out of Iraq can only help.
Do these theorists honestly believe that voters are so indecisive that an inevitable guilty verdict two days before the election would sway their choice on the ballot? Everyone knew this was coming. Saddam being pronounced ‘guilty’ is the most predictable news event of the year, but it hardly makes up for the strategic blunders by the United States in Iraq and other reasons the Republicans have lost favor in this country. Name one person who was planning on voting for the Democrats, but changed his/her mind after the court said the word that many Iraqis ““ and Iranians, and Israelis, and Kuwaitis”¦ etc. ““ have been longing to hear for decades.
Overthrowing the Baathists was an accomplishment. Capturing Saddam was an accomplishment. Forming a unity government in Iraq was an accomplishment. Killing Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was an accomplishment. Pesci in My Cousin Vinny could have successfully prosecuted Saddam. That’s simply not the straw the broke the camels back, folks. Even if you believe the Bush administration is full of dolts, at least admit that they’re aware that a Saddam guilty verdict won’t make much of a difference.
There’s only really one thing they can do ““ one last desperate immoral trick up their sleeves they can use ““ that might actually sway some voters (though the theorists will be there but that’s inevitable). They could go to Iraq and ‘find’ the weapons of mass destruction.