Saddam Caught? - Page 4

1. Stop acting all superior. It would be one thing if they find a huge stockpile of nukes, then you could gloat. NO ONE is unhappy that Hussein is captured. It's a good thing and a symbolic victory for the Iraqi people and might be a strategic victory(if he did indeed have a hand in running resistence.) NO ONE is "eating crow," so stop saying it because your not making the slightest bit of sense.

2. Manning, grow the fuck up. Anti-Iraqi war does not equal "I hate America" The fact that you say shit like that and have your little "patriotic" sig right under it just makes you look more ignorant.

3. Matt, you were the first one to bring up the so-called "anti-Bush" crap. Just because someone is against the war does not mean they are simply "anti-Bush." You also didn't win anything, No one is eating crow, so stop with that bullshit.

Because where he is right now isn't all that different from that hole in the ground he was hiding in. He's been as good as in prison for a while. There's just a face to it now.

Well Dave as abrasive as the newbie is he is right. And I've been around longer than you (on the board at least).

Now where have I put that picture of Rumsfeld shaking hands with the big bad dictator?

I believe the word we are looking for is "anyway"...

So as you can all imagine I'm very happy about this.

However:

1) I think Saddam had pretty much nothing to do with attacks for the last 3 or 4 months. It is all Syrians, Iranians, Ex-fedayeen who do not wish to see democracy in Iraq. (Which with its educated populace and relatively large middle class actually has a chance to make it work, compared to some other middle eastern countries).

2) HOPEFULLY, this will heal the Iraqi people in some way and allow them to move on, take a more active role in forming a new government.

3) Can't we all agree that this is a good thing and quit being dicks to each other?

Oh and I am getting extemely sick of EVERY telecast asking all the Dem9, "So what does this mean for Howard Dean? He was so against the war and stuff."

What does this mean for Dean?

DICK. It means nothing. Those who were against the war are STILL against it, as is proof positive in this thread. Dean will not be hurt even in the slightest.

Sorry if I was abrasive. It's just that attitude pisses me off. It's like they can't argue any actual points so they have to come up with some imaginary arguments. It's a lot easier to yell at somebody for being against the war if they "hate America" and a lot easier to pat yourself on the back and tell yourself you were right all along if anti-war people are now somehow "eating crow."

Anyway, lets talk about what good will come from this.

1. Symbolically this is great for the Iraqi people. Any thoughts that Saddam could come back into power are now gone. Maybe things will get a little better from here.

2. I don't think he was leading resistence from that rathole but now that he is gone perhaps his loyalist fighters will lay down arms. Of course this depends on how many of the resistence fighters were loyalists and how many just want America out. That remains to be seen.

3. It will be interesting to see what this means for Bush. Even though the reasons for this war were to protect us from WMD's do you think the American people will just be content that Saddam was caught? Even if we find that there were absolutley no weapons at all?

Honestly, I think most people have forgotten about the weapons of mass destruction angle. Most people now believe that this is about freeing Iraqi’s.

I think it’s particularly pathetic that the emphasis could be so easily shifted, and still be thought true.

This is not about freeing anyone, it never was. The Iraqi’s will not be free for a very, very long time. I suspect they will perhaps get a taste of freedom when the worlds fossil fuel supplies run empty, however then they will not have a major export with which to support their economy.

I guess it's hard for me to believe anyone's sincerity about how either great or irrelevant this news is when they want to frame not in what it'll mean to the world around us, the people of Iraq, or to the soldiers under fire there, but rather in how much it'll help Bush next year.

Honestly, that's pretty small thinking.

No matter what's transpired in the past, I simply want whoever is in the White House from 2004-2008 to be someone who's learned from mistakes in Iraq, who has a solid mind about reining in runaway spending and pork bills, and who truly is interested in dealing with all threats to America, even if they come from so-called "friendly" nations like Saudi Arabia.

If Bush showed me he was capable of those things, I would vote for him in 2004. Of course, living in Georgia, I'm "electorally" voting for him, no matter what, but that's another story.

As for the Iraq situation, it's too early for hoseannas or hatred. This is a gesture that may be symbolic or it may be truly effective. Time will have to tell. If it's isolated and has no effect on the attacks and yields no new intelligence on WMD or the attackers, it's pointless.

Yes. On the whole, the American people have the attention span of a concussed bee.

What about veterans' benefits? The 9/11 stonewalling? Ms. Plame? Loading scientific and environmental advisory boards with corporate lobbyists when not choosing to ignore them altogether? Giving corporations carte blanche to hide their actions from the public under the ridiculous guise of national security? The scrapping or ignoring of the treaties that have kept the world at something sort of like peace for the past fifty years? The closed-door energy policy? Tax cuts for the people in the country who need them the least? Guatanamo Bay?

Capturing Saddam Hussein doesn't make any of this go away. Why people cheer for this buffoon escapes me. But they do. And they will for a while yet.

even though he was a tyrant who tortured and butchered thousands of people, crimes for which he must and will be punished, I feel sorry for this man.

The man was living in a hole. I don't think we had to worry about a recreation of Napoleon's 100 Days here.

For all intents and purposes, the man was out of power the minute we set foot in Baghdad. All today does is give us a photo op to prove it.

I didn't mean for us, I meant from the perspective of the Iraqi people.

True enough. It will make many of the Iraqi people feel like the shadow of 23 years of tyranny are over.

And, it is very very weird, but my initial reaction on seeing the pictures of Saddam was to feel sorry for him. He looked so pathetic.

Then I remembered the video of people being thrown off of 3 story buildings, blind folded and tied, because they did something minor against this man. Imagine what he did to the people who really pissed him off.

Whoa. Big red flag here. Did you do that on purpose, or just strayed into a different img directory?

Ignorance sure is bliss, isn't it?

I agree with this completely, which is why I find it hard to believe Bush's sincerity.

you know, everyone seems to forget that he said he said it was going to be a long-ass war when he "declared" the war on terror. Not saying he was right, just saying what he said.

I'm still waiting for this war to actually start. When we shift focus away from terrorists in Afghanistan, leave them to openly organize in Iran, and leave open their Saudi funding channels, exactly what kind of what of war are we fighting?

Oh come on, now you're saying Hussien had something to do with the Great White Water Rafting disaster of 02?

You're truly pathetic Jacob. You have no idea the elation and joy those Iraqi's who have been terrorized by Saddam are feeling right now. Imagine the peace they feel. I mean I never was behind the Iraq war but I can safely say I feel good for those people today whose families were murdered and terrorized by Saddam and his death squads. This has nothing to do with politics. So I say a great big fuck you to you.