He’s guilty; they’ll tell us why after the elections

November 6, 2006

When an Iraqi court convicted [tag]Saddam Hussein[/tag] yesterday of crimes against humanity and sentenced him to death, the ruling was a little short on details. In fact, there was no formal explanation/reasoning at all, only a [tag]verdict[/tag] and a [tag]sentence[/tag]. Josh Marshall, noting an NBC report, explains why.

The full verdict, a document of several hundred pages, explaining how and why today’s judgment was reached was not released. U.S. officials said it should be ready by Thursday. So why issue the verdict today? U.S. court advisors told reporters today it was delayed mainly for technical reasons.

Josh noted, “They put in all manner of caveats explaining how there’s no proof the verdict was timed for political purposes. But it certainly seems like they couldn’t actually get the verdict ready for the November 5th slam dunk. So they announced it for US electoral benefit. And they’ll do their best to get the actual verdict done by [tag]Thursday[/tag].”

How sporting of them. The verdict had to be issued before the U.S. [tag]elections[/tag] — officials didn’t say why — and they’ll wrap up pesky details such as the judgment just as soon as the midterm elections are over.

Of course, the fact that Bush administration officials ran the trial and paid for it is completely irrelevant. To even question this is just silly, right?

As [tag]Paul Krugman[/tag] put it, “[I]f you think the timing of the Saddam verdict was coincidental, I’ve got a terrorist plot against the Brooklyn Bridge to sell you.”

Since Bush v. Gore (2000), this Administration brings you the best justice money can buy. And now with new and improved Habeas Corpus!*

*Offer not valid in the United States.

  • I don’t think it’s right that Mr. Krugman belittles the terrorist plot to bring down the Brooklyn Bridge by using one guy with a blowtorch. Next thing you know, he will be pooh-poohing the Islamonazimexicali threat of using mind bullets to blow up the moon.

    Why does Krugman hate lunar tides?

  • From Alice in Wonderland:

    “Let the jury consider their verdict,” the King said, for about the twentieth time that day.
    “No, no!” said the Queen. “Sentence first–verdict afterwards.”
    “Stuff and nonsense!” said Alice loudly. “The idea of having the sentence first!”
    “Hold your tongue!” said the Queen, turning purple.

  • No one believed that the timing was coincidental.

    But by claiming it was, the Kool Aid drinkers were given permission to lie about their own beliefs when confronted by the sane, and claim they did not accept that it was all an election ploy.

    When you’re a member of THE BASE, you get to lie about your own beliefs just to watch the blood pressure rise in the poor smuck you are taunting.

  • If the Retards were expecting a big rah-rah moment from the verdict, they were wrong. Saddam found guilty? Big whoop. The only surprise would have been if the Iraqi court had let him off, in which case they’d all be shipped out to Guantanamo and never heard from again.

    Not mentioned much was the fact that the verdict will be automatically appealed, and that according to news accounts this is only the first of twelve trials that Saddam is scheduled to face.

    So the sideshow continues, and the American public shrug their shoulders and go back to whatever they were doing before (hopefully voting Democratic!).

  • It’s…well…surprising how often we are told that such conduct by the Bush administration is not surprising. However, damn near all of it is unethical and a substantial part of it, apparently, is criminal. How is it that the government continues to get a free pass to act this way when, say, the prescription drug industry would be fallen on by a metaphorical Great Wall of China of the citizenry if it were caught influencing public opinion with such shenanigans?

    The GOP has been caught so many times with its pants so far down that it could be an extra in a P. Diddy video. Yet the usual response is to shake one’s head ruefully, and suggest such conduct is not surprising.

    Lying on the part of the government goes beyond being just an amusing part of politics and stands into danger when it is non-stop shameless bullshit that is broadly accepted by the electorate. I sure hope Pelosi is lying when she says impeachment of George Bush is not on the table. More to the point, why is it up to her?

  • Tony Snow’s reaction to the Army Times calling for Rummy’s resignation:

    “The notion that somehow, as the editorial says, that this is not intended to influence the elections — you’ve got to be kidding me. I mean, if they didn’t want it to influence the elections, they could have published it Wednesday.”

    Hypocritical assholes, each and every one of them

  • Seems like if they wanted some mileage from this they would have announced it a week ago, to give the talking heads lots of time to get pictures and videos and analysis together, and give republican candidates a chance to show off “their” accomplishment of fighting terror. Instead, this story will be competing with the elections tomorrow, and be drowned out.

    If this was planned, and if this is supposed to be a late “surprise” it’s pretty lame. It won’t even give repubs a chance to get any traction with talking points either.

  • Any Republican that says this conviction benefits them need to go to rehab or check themselves into a mental health clinic. Anyone, anyone not see this convision coming please raise your hand….. I don’t know the “news” of this seemed to be a big yawn. So what genius though this was good planning was obviously living on the other side of Alice’s Looking Glass. The fact that it was obviously timed was the bigger talking point than the fact he was found guilty.

  • Re #6 – “How is it that the government continues to get a free pass to act this way….” – comment by Mark

    The Bush cabal literally controls the entire apparatus of government all the way down the line. When you own the Department of Justice, the Attorney General, the courts and both Houses of Congress, who exactly is going to prosecute you when you get caught doing something illegal?

    Answer: Nobody!!

    That’s been the Republic’s whole plan from the beginning. Acquire absolute control and then use it without let or hindrance. And it has worked flawlessly for them up to now.

    That’s why it’s so vital that tomorrow’s elections go well for the forces of Light. The only way to save the nation and the world from growing Darkness is to kick them to the curb and nail the door shut behind them.

    I sent in my absentee ballot last week. Have you?

  • Point of clarification:

    There have obviously been some people sent to jail and otherwise taken down for their crimes, so the Republic’s plans have not been totally successful and indeed are starting to crumble around them. The ringleaders still haven’t been touched yet, though, so the job is not yet accomplished completely.

    And my last question was intended to be generic and not directed at Mark in #6 personally, just to clear up any possible misunderstanding. 🙂

  • Hey, curmudgeon; wish I could. I’m not American, and it’s not my election. I do, however, feel a vested interest in the outcome since I’m just on the other side of the world’s longest undefended border, and live under a Prime minister who is a self-professed admirer of Gee Dubya’s kick-ass-and-take-names style. Believe me, I’ll be thinking about you guys! Go Dems!!

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