The chief prosecutor in the trial of Saddam Hussein has demanded the death penalty for the ousted Iraqi president and two other defendants.
"We demand the maximum punishment for Saddam, (his half-brother) Barzan Ibrahim al-Tikriti and (former vice president) Taha Yassin Ramadan," Jaafar al-Mussawi said Monday in court as he rested the prosecution case…
Presenting his final remarks, Mussawi said "the charges against the defendants are of murder, extreme deprivation of people, torture and forcibly hiding people.
"These are crimes against humanity because it has happened under a wide assault and was organised by authorities against a group of citizens."
After he rested its case, the trial was adjourned until July 10 when the defence team will make its closing arguments.
If Saddam is found guilty and sentenced to death by hanging, it will be interesting to watch the reaction of those on the liberal left. Most libs are pretty much opposed to the death penalty (with the standard exceptions of course… Karl Rove, Dick Cheney, Don Rumsfeld, Rush Limbaugh, etc,). And most have also been steadfast advocates of the notion that the US should not have gone into Iraq in the first place. So presumably, they should have a lot to complain about here.
On the other hand, liberals are rarely noted for their consistent adherence to principles, and any more overt support for the regime of Saddam Hussein, especially after a trial by the Iraqis themselves, can do the left no good at all with the public, which is already more than a little unnerved at the liberals’ take on foreign affairs and the GWOT.
The shrewdest move for liberals would probably be just to shut up entirely… but we all know that ain't gonna happen.