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| Iraq |
| Sammy calls on Iraqis to give him his old job back |
| 2006-03-16 |
| Inside the courtroom Wednesday, deposed despot Saddam Hussein called for Iraqis to rise up against U.S. occupying forces. In the courtroom, Saddam got the chance Wednesday to present his defense. He and seven other Baath Party officials are charged with 148 deaths in the village of Dujail after a 1982 assassination attempt against him. Instead of defending himself, Saddam tried to turn the appearance into a political rally, giving a long, sometimes eloquent and frequently censored speech. The speech reminded Iraqis of hundreds he'd delivered during 35 years as a dominant force, and then dictator. "I call on you Iraqi people to go back and resist," he said. "I call upon you Iraqi people to stop wounding each other." Later, he added: "It's only a short time before the sun will rise where there has been dark." Saddam called the court "a comedy," referred to occupation forces as "Satan" and insisted that he's still the president of Iraq. But, standing in the dock, an ill-fitting white collar exposing his scraggy neck, it became clear that he no longer was feared by the government he'd ruled until the U.S.-led coalition forced him from office in 2003. Chief Tribunal Judge Raouf Abdel Rahman shouted down Saddam on several occasions - berating him for talking about politics when he faced very serious criminal charges - and effectively silenced him. Throughout the trial, Rahman occasionally has turned on a red light, a sign to technicians to turn off a defendant's microphone. Wednesday, Rahman hit the mute button at least nine times during Saddam's half-hour of testimony before ejecting reporters from the courtroom and cutting the taped television feed for good. What could be heard was combative, and left Rahman and Saddam alternately shouting and smirking. Saddam: "I am still the president." Rahman: "You were the president. Now you are a suspect." Later, after Rahman again reminded Saddam to stick to his defense and avoid politics, the former dictator responded: "It's only because of politics that I am here, and you are there." After Saddam exchanged angry words with prosecutor Ja'afar al-Moosawi, Rahman said: "This is a tribunal, not chaos." Saddam rolled his eyes and answered: "Yeah, it's a tribunal." Saddam saved his harshest words for U.S. forces. He quoted the Quran: "God give us patience and make our feet steady and make us victorious over the infidels." He referred to "this so-called court under the despicable occupation ... which is being represented by this farce." And he talked about Iraqis, saying: "I was their loyal son and leader, their pure fountain from which they drank ... and they were my shield and sword, within the great Iraq." In addition to claiming to still be president, he claimed to still head Iraq's armed forces. He also, on several occasions, predicted that the occupation would fail. "How the occupation's belly spills out of its guts and its nakedness becomes obvious. So the invaders and their supporters realize that they are on their certain way to being swept out, to becoming garbage." After the courtroom was closed to the public, the trial was adjourned to April 5. Saddam didn't publicly address the crimes with which he's charged, which could result in capital punishment. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #6 Maybe they'll let him wander around in a bathrobe, talking to himself... |
| Posted by: Pappy 2006-03-16 23:42 |
| #5 Next week Sammy does the Howard Dean scream YEAHEHHHH from the witness stand. |
| Posted by: Visitor 2006-03-16 16:26 |
| #4 I further recall that they had to get a ceremonial sword out of a museum to behead the perp the way the law required. |
| Posted by: Redneck Jim 2006-03-16 14:07 |
| #3 An Insanity plea would not help, he's been crazy for years. I recall some years ago when one of the Princelings (Forget exactly which country) assassinated his ruler and claimed insanity. The judge effectively said "Yep he's ceazy, execution is Wednesday." |
| Posted by: Redneck Jim 2006-03-16 08:22 |
| #2 So Karl Rove got Saddam to call for a US troop pullout. Next Step: Get Saddam to endorse Hillary |
| Posted by: mhw 2006-03-16 08:18 |
| #1 Do they have "Not guilty, by reason of insanity" as an available verdict in Iraq? |
| Posted by: Glenmore 2006-03-16 07:21 |