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Saddam death penalty: Misplaced plaudits!

George Bush, and his little puppy-follower, John Howard have mouthed the paltitudes and nonsense one would have expected with the sentencing of Saddam Hussein to death. Pity is that, once again, they are out of step with the realities of the worldif - this report in the IHT is anything to go by:

"In a world sharply divided on Iraq since the U.S.-led war began in 2003, Saddam Hussein's death sentence unleashed fears of fresh violence, European condemnation of capital punishment and new questions about the fairness of the tribunal that ordered him to hang.

Underscoring the fault lines that split the international community and widened the divide between Muslims and Christians, Islamic leaders warned that Sunday's verdict could inflame those who revile the United States - undermining U.S. policy in the volatile Middle East and inspiring terrorists.

Critics accused President Bush of arranging the timing of the sentence, handed down two days before pivotal midterm elections in which Democrats are fighting to regain control of Congress.

"The hanging of Saddam Hussein will turn to hell for the Americans," said Vitaya Wisethrat, a respected Muslim cleric in Thailand, where a bloody Islamic insurgency is raging in the country's south".


Meanwhile, as the SMH reports - American neo-cons will claim the Saddam judgement as a victory, but it will bring no relief to George Bush, writes veteran Paul McGeough, chief correspondent. Remember McGeough has been one of the very few correspondents who has actually stayed the course in reporting from Iraq in what can now only be described as the Iraq War debacle. In other words McGeough does know what he is talking about.


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