Rush to execution
Reported by Chrish - July 1, 2004 -
Fox News Live (June 30, 3:00pm EDT) has tried, convicted, and sentenced Saddam Hussein to death. Now all the Iraqis have to do is follow the script, and they'll have administered due process, western style.
It was reiterated several times (3:00, Iraqi man on the street; 3:04 John Cencich, fmr. UN tribunal investigator; 3:32 Scott McClellan, White House press secretary; 3:25 Judge Andrew Napolitano; and others) that the Iraqi people would be prosecuting Saddam Hussein, subject to Iraqi law, although it was admitted that there would be "international" oversight. It was mentioned throughout the hour, but Judge Andrew Napolitano said it most forcefully, (at 3:25) that before the trial begins, "the government of Iraq has to re-enact _the death penalty_ ."
When asked by Rick Fulbaum if he had any doubt that Saddam will be getting the death penalty, Judge N. replied "The ironic thing here - we want this trial to be fair - it HAS to be fair - but we all know he's going to be found guilty and executed. Anything less than that will just not be deemed fair by those of us in the world who want a fair trial and the bad guys executed."
Comment: I guess it depends on the meaning of the word fair, Judge. If we all know he's guilty why bother with a trial? At other times the good Judge has advocated that the charges be cherry-picked to ensure a guilty verdict and to not let the questioning ever venture into territory the administration would not want aired.
Fox viewers are being told execution is inevitable and the only acceptable outcome.
Like Timothy McVeigh, the enormity of the crimes and the pain and grief Saddam caused understandably makes people, survivors of victims, want revenge. But when the government wants to quickly and finally silence someone I have to wonder why. I am not defending Hussein; let him rot. I am uncomfortable with the determined rush by a supposedly impartial body to bloody vengeance. Too many secrets will never be told, and I fear that's the whole point.
