[Cerek the Barbaric]

Originally posted by Azred: Fortunately, President Bush is entitled to voice his opinion. However, regardless of his opinion Hussein's ultimate fate will--or at least should--be in the hands of an Iraqi court. As the situation currently stands, Iraq allows for the death penalty, but we'll just have to see what happens. What will the anti-death penalty proponents say if an Iraqi court decides that Hussein should be put to death? What will the pro-death penalty proponents say if an Iraqi court decides that Hussein should be locked away for life? Regardless of which way the cookie crumbles now, Hussein has become a non-issue, because his trial will be larger than he is. The only thing surprising about this whole episode is that Hussein allowed himself to be caught. I thought he would have killed himself by now....

You're right, Azred. It will interesting to see how the anti-death penalty contingent reacts if the Iraqi court hands down that punishment. It will be difficult to blame President Bush for that outcome, although I'm sure a heroic effort will be made to do so nonetheless.

As for me, I would be perfectly happy if the Iraqi court opted to just lock Saddam Hussein up for the rest of his life. This is one case where I think a lifetime of confinement might actually be a worse punishment than the death penalty. Saddam will never recant or regret his actions, but he certainly will regret the loss of stature and status - going from the leader of the country to a common criminal locked away forever.

So I will be happy with either decision.