Saddam To Iraqis: Don't Hate The Invaders

Web Site Message Issued In His Name Says Hate Closes Minds; Timing Of Execution Unsure

(CBS/AP) 
Questions had arisen about whether the appeals court's ruling needed to be approved by the Iraqi presidency, which customarily signs off on death sentences.

Busho Ibrahim, deputy justice minister, said it wasn't necessary. "According to the legal provisions of the court, there is no need for the approval of the presidency," he said.

A spokesman for President Jalal Talabani acknowledged the legal argument that the execution could go ahead without ratification by the president, who has expressed opposition to the death penalty.

"Some people believe there is no need for his approval," spokesman Hiwa Osman said. "We still have to hear from the court as to how the procedure can be carried out."

An official from Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's Dawa Party, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media, said that "the government wants Saddam executed as soon as possible."

Another official close to al-Maliki, who also refused to be quoted by name, said the execution would take place before the end of the 30-day period.

Saddam will remain in a U.S. military prison near the airport, Camp Cropper, until the day of the execution, at which point he will be handed over to Iraqi authorities, the official said.

Ghazzawi, the defense lawyer, said the letter by Saddam was released Tuesday and published Wednesday on the Web site of Saddam's former Baath Party.

The deposed leader said he was writing the letter because his lawyers had told him the Iraqi High Tribunal that tried his case would give him an opportunity to say a final word.

"But that court and its chief judge did not give us the chance to say a word, and issued its verdict without explanation and read out the sentence — dictated by the invaders — without presenting the evidence," Saddam wrote.

"Dear faithful people," he added, "I say goodbye to you, but I will be with the merciful God who helps those who take refuge in him and who will never disappoint any honest believer."

Some Saddam loyalists threatened to retaliate if he is executed, warning in a posting on the same Web site that they would target U.S. interests.

"The Baath and the resistance are determined to retaliate, with all means and everywhere, to harm America and its interests if it commits this crime," the statement said, referring to Baath fighters as "the resistance."

The Baath Party was disbanded after U.S.-led forces overthrew Saddam in 2003. The Web site is believed to be run from Yemen, where a number of exiled members of the party are based.

The appeals court also affirmed death sentences for two of Saddam's co-defendants, including his half brother. It ruled life imprisonment for a third was too lenient and demanded the lower court also sentence him to death.

Some Iraqis said Saddam should be hanged immediately, but others feared Iraq's bloodletting could escalate if the former dictator is executed at a time when sectarian attacks are already on the rise.

"Executing him now is dangerous. The situation is very bad. Things need to be calmer," said Saadia Mohamed Majed, a 60-year-old Shiite in Baghdad who wants the penalty to be postponed for at least three years.

Saddam is in the midst of another trial, charged with genocide and other crimes during a 1987-88 military crackdown on Kurds in northern Iraq. An estimated 180,000 Kurds died during the operation. That trial was adjourned until Jan. 8, but experts have said the trial of Saddam's co-defendants is likely to continue even if he is executed.

The U.S. command reported three American military deaths Wednesday, bringing the U.S. death toll for December to 93 in one of the bloodiest months for U.S. troops this year. Some 105 soldiers and Marines were killed in October, according to an AP count.

"This has been a difficult month for coalition forces, and the month is not over yet," said Maj. Gen. William Caldwell, a military spokesman.

Two Latvian soldiers were also killed and three were wounded when a roadside bomb exploded under their Humvee, the Latvian Defense Ministry said. It was unclear where the incident took place, but Latvia has about 130 soldiers serving in Diwaniyah, 130 kilometers (80 miles) south of Baghdad.

A top aide to the radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr was killed in a raid by U.S. troops Wednesday in the Shiite holy city of Najaf, an Iraqi lawmaker said.

The U.S. military said the death occurred during a joint operation by American and Iraqi troops. It described the man, Sahib al-Amiri, as a criminal involved in the use of roadside bombs.

[missamerica4]

Do you understand that you are parroting Demo talking points.
We did NOT PUT SADDAM IN POWER.
Saddam was well on his way to power...without us.
Yes in the on going battle against Communism we did help Saddam, as did many other countries.

""We spoon fed him arms and money to finance his war with Iran. We also armed and financed the Taliban to keep Russia out of Afghanistan""

Yes we did. In the fight against world domination of communism we have helped many unsavory characters, in some cases it is a matter of evil and a little less evil.
All in all.....your free , are you not? So somebody ..so far..... has made some difficult but right choices. It is really to bad that all in this world is not as simple as you would like..but maybe we can tidy it up for you...
Of course you are the one with the crystal ball, and the expert judgment...maybe you will run things for us....
Errrr... after you balance your checkbook and figure out how to set the time on the DVD player.

[notoole]

yep as i expected before i started reading through these comments... ITS BUSH's FAULT what a very disrespectful habbit

[kaiyo4u]

missAmerica4:
Do you understand we put Hussein into power?
We spoon fed him arms and money to finance his war with Iran. We also armed and financed the Taliban to keep Russia out of Afghanistan.
So much rhetoric and so little truth...
Pipeline deals in both countries currently...
With all our wealth, we needn't depend on oil to power this nation. Once there is no dependency, the people "over there" will go back to cutting each others' throats, not ours.

[kaiyo4u]

For you bleeding hearts out there:
Do what the high school kid did in the early seventies if you really want to change things.
You remember the kid who burned the flag in Ohio in the early '70's?
He was looking up federal laws for a class report and with what he found, he burned the flag. As he legally had right to do so.
Find those early Federal Codes (which were written so they could not be changed) which are the cornerstones of our laws and you just might find a way to change things. Otherwise, quit your b**chen... They have to do with priviledge and Treason among other things....

[dmorg4]

This war was unjust we had no right to go in
there and take over this other country
bush should be impeached without delay
someday God kingdom will come and then and only
then will there be peace

[missamerica4]

mh4cbs

If you insist on using my word 'sheeple' use it right. You are the sheeple, dumb libs who can't find their b;TT with both hands.

"" DEATH and DESTRUCTION ""

All wars are death and destruction idiot. If you were ever in one you would know that. History should teach you there are no war where they sit around singing kum-ba-ya.

""Such disregard for FACTS""

Oh God, where do I start ?
Here are some 'facts' for you that YOU have disregarded.
--- The Iraq Liberation Act
October 31, 1998
http://www.library.cornell.edu/colldev/mideast/libera.htm

--- ESTABLISHING A PROGRAM TO SUPPORT A TRANSITION TO DEMOCRACY IN IRAQ (Senate - October 07, 1998)
http://www.fas.org/irp/congress/1998_cr/s981007-iraq.htm

--- UN RESOLUTION 687 (1991)
http://www.fas.org/news/un/iraq/sres/sres0687.htm

go away and learn something

[missamerica4]

clestes:
""It is our disgrace "

Nope, YOU are our disgrace. Hard to believe there are still people as ignorant as you.
Obviously English is not your first language so feel free to go back where you came from.

""Saddam's crimes were, and are NONE OF US BUSINESS.""

Us Business ??
I won't bother to explain the chain of events treaties and Resolutions that made it OUR business, To much for you to follow.

""George Bush is no different than Saddam ""

Oh ***, did I miss seeing the 'mass graves'filled with American's who ran afoul of Bush and his bloody daughters? I missed the shredders ?...OH NO ! I missed the rapes...***.

I wish you could have spent some time in Saddams Iraq. You deserve it. I would even pay for the ticket. Who knows Uday may fancy you.
I think it's to late for you to spend time with Saddamn, but maybe we can work out something with
Kim jung, or one of the other dictators, Mugbe maybe. Maybe then you would see a difference.

""He has ordered the death of hundreds of thousands of innocent people. He has hide behind position of "president"

LOL...you are one stupid butch.

[clestes-2009]

Saddam's crimes were, and are NONE OF US BUSINESS. By what right does dubya think he can decide who lives and who dies. Isn't that the same thing Saddam did? Make imperial decisions (remember the decider) about life and death.

George Bush is no different than Saddam and deserves to hang along side him. He invaded Iraq for monetary reasons, just like Saddam invaded Kuit. He has ordered the death of hundreds of thousands of innocent people. He has hide behind position of "president" and used that position for personal gain.

He is a common murderer and deserves the same fate. It is our disgrace that this criminal continues to wage war on false pretences and continues to kill wantonly.

[mh4cbs1]

Hermit22:

You ignore the FACT that BUSH agression and violence has KILLED MORE innocent civillians than Saddam and Osama COMBINED.

Why are BUSH War Crimes less of a concern to you? You, like so many American Sheeple, have been led by the nose by our media to ignore the FACTS about why we are now fighting a NEEDLESS WAR of DEATH and DESTRUCTION in Iraq. Tiy need to read books by so many Republican CIA, Weapon Inspectors and former administration officials. Do you even know that Larry Wilkerson, chief of staff to Colin Powell, called the pre-War "intelligence" a hoax?

Saddam was (even back when he was one of our many US-friendly brutal dictators) a violent despotic ruler. But why are you not concerned about the vilolent agressive ruler of your OWN NATION.

Such penchant for WAR will lead to endless WAR. Such disregard for FACTS enables OUR corporate rulers to continue to exploit and abuse the people of the world, including our own middleclass and poor, for their own power and profit.

[hermit22]

CBS needs to check out the PBS news on the thousands of people each week, who are offering to pull the lever on the butcher of baghdad!

CBS needs to check out the man who said there is not one family in Iraq that hasn't had a funneral because of Saddam.

Saddam droning on about "brotherly coexistence" etc. is like the fox's pep talk before the raid on the chicken coop. a joke.

American translators should be careful to use the name "Allah" rather than God.Does he think his soul is a "sacrifice" to Allah, BECAUSE he killed so many people?Is he twisted so he thinks he is going to heaven BECAUSE he killed so many?What kind of a god did he worship?Was he his own god?

When it came to duke ing it out with Saddam, both Clinton and Ford said: "Let George do it."
and he dun it! God bless George!

[kjgal]

HumanCitizen
Why is there so much hate in your heart? I will be praying for you.

[darkfyreaol]

Newster1: When one is hanged, it is intended for the neck to break, certainly. Though it is not always the case. In rare occasions the spine/neck doesn't snap, and the prisoner dies of strangulation/lack of blood flow to the brain. I'm sure the throat could be crushed as well in certain instances, and he/she would drown in their own blood.

Death by hanging isn't always quick, and can sometimes be messy.

[darkfyreaol]

I believe the translation is accurate, minus the details of 'God' and 'Allah'.

For one, it would serve our purpose if the message were to be one of general peace.

It would serve his purpose as well, to be remembered as one who gave a message of peace in his final days.

Whether the message was altered or not, anything remotely resembling a call for all-out war against the infidels would destroy the situation in Iraq.

[nothappyatall]

I don't buy his letter's translation, it was written in arabic and so far no actual copies have appeared and if it does who here can READ arabic? do we trust the Us Govt to provide an ACCURATE translation?
He would say he gives himself over to ALLAH not "god" if the translation was accurate.

[nothappyatall]

clestes you've watched too many movies, when you are hung your neck is broken, you are dead and unconscious, any "kicking" is similar to turkeys when their heads are cut off, besdies, who cares! the guy gassed hundreds of people, I think they should do to him what they do to conscious live dogs in some countries over there- burn the skin off with a blowtorch.

[clestes-2009]

What a disgusting sight to be sure. Saddam kicking on the end of a rope. I think some of the families of his murdered victims should be allowed to see him hang. Other than that, why would anyone want to see it?? Sounds perfectly gross to me!

[patriotic9]

HumanCitizen
Just wondering,are you Michael Savage?You sound like him.Dude you can compete with Bush in INSANITY.

[mh4cbs1]

So Called HumanCitizen:

Spoken like a true conservative. Thanks for sharing your insight and compassion.

j2thek wrote:

"On the contrary, visiting these sites has convinced me that we are facing a modern Crusade, and Europe has already fallen. It%u2019s too late for freedom to be saved on the Old Continent...Join me at antijihadmilitia.blogspot.com."

Why? Is that where all the dangerous freako nut jobs hang out?

Dude - you are an idiot. Do everyone a favor - end your own life.

[kjgal]

Like I said, God is perfect, We are not. He didn't make US to be perfect, He made us think for ourselves. If he had made us to be perfect, we would all be like HIM. He gave us the right to choose in what we want to believe. He wants us to know that with all the destruction that goes on in this world, we still have salvation. That's what Jesus died for. That's what I have been taught and believe. He gives us a CHOICE. And no matter what happens, I Choose HIM! I would love to believe that we could all live in peace an harmony, but that's not realistic. I know that when I'm done here on this earth, there is a much better place for me. I don't hate anybody. I hate what is happening in the world, but I know it wasn't born in us, it was taught. Not by God, by HUMAN. And not everybody feels the way I do, because God gave us the right to choose.