Report: U.S. Tried To Delay Saddam Hanging

American Ambassador Concerned Execution Was Being Carried Out Too Quickly

(CBS/AP)  In the hours before Saddam Hussein was led to the gallows by men in ski masks, the U.S. ambassador to Iraq reportedly tried, but failed, to delay the execution, reports CBS News correspondent Randall Pinkston.

A Reuters report, quoting Iraqi officials familiar with the discussions, says ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad insisted that Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki provide certain documents, including a signature from Iraq's president.

Iraq's national security adviser Mowaffak al-Rubaie confirmed to CBS News that the U.S. "brought to the attention of the government of Iraq to be careful with ... documentation" and that Iraq provided the required paperwork including "a consent document from President Jalal Talabani."

The U.S. had leverage. From the moment of his capture, to his trial and sentencing, Saddam was in U.S. military custody, reports Pinkston. After the flurry of negotiations, Saddam wasn't handed over until a few hours before his execution.

After Hussein's burial Monday, rage over the hanging spilled into the streets in many parts of the Sunni Muslim hartland Monday, especially in Samarra where a mob of angry protesters broke the locks off the badly damaged Shiite Golden Dome mosque and marched through carrying a mock coffin and photo of the executed former leader.

Sunni extremists had blown apart the glistening dome on the Shiite holy place 10 months earlier, setting in motion the sectarian slaughter that now grips the troubled land.

The Samarra protest was particularly significant because it signaled a widening expression of defiance among Sunnis, the minority Muslim sect in Iraq that had enjoyed special status and power under Saddam and had oppressed the now-ascendant Shiite majority for centuries.

But what exactly is the difference between Sunnis and Shia? Nihad Awad, Executive Director of CAIR, says, "The difference between the two is not necessarily a religious one. It is administrative, it is a political one. And in fact, it is less of a difference than between Catholics and Protestants."

Until Saddam was executed, excluding a few days of protests after his death sentence was handed down Nov. 5, the broader Sunni population had sought a low profile in the sectarian conflict that had seen thousands of them killed or driven from their homes by Shiite militia forces since the Samarra bombing Feb. 22.

"Saddam Hussein's execution is not likely to bring the hoped-for reconciliation although it brought closure to some of his victims," said CBS News Foreign Affairs Analyst Pamela Falk, "and the continued sectarian violence will be key to the Administration's reevaluation of Iraq policy, expected later this week."

Sunni insurgents and foreign fighters of al-Qaida in Iraq had been conducting a bloody insurgency with attacks on U.S. forces and brutal bombings against Shiite civilians since the summer of 2003, shortly after Saddam was ousted in the American-led invasion.

While many Sunnis were known to be sympathetic to the insurgency, its active membership had not reached broadly into the Sunni population. The angry Sunni protests that now are building in the country could presage deeper involvement by what until now had been a largely quiescent group.

The Sunnis were not only angered by Saddam's hurried execution, just four days after an appeals court upheld his conviction and sentence, but were increasingly incensed by the unruly and undignified manner in which the hanging was carried out.

A clandestine video of the hanging showed Saddam was taunted by some present at the execution with chants of "Muqtada, Muqtada, Muqtada" in the last moments of his life. The chants were a reference to anti-American Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who runs one of the deadliest religious militias in Iraq and is a major power behind the government of al-Maliki, who had pushed for Saddam to be hanged before the year was out.

Saddam was put to death on the eve of the Shiite celebration of the Eid al-Ahda, the major Muslim festival marking the end of the hajj pilgrimage to Mecca and a remembrance Abraham's willingness to sacrifice of his son, now symbolized by the slaughtering of sheep.

The first judge in the so-called Dujail trial, Rizgar Mohammed Amin, said Saddam's execution in the during the eid was illegal according to Iraqi law. Sunni Muslim festivities marking the holiday began on the same day that Saddam was hanged. Rizgar, a Kurd, was removed as chief judge in the case after Shiite complaints that he was too lenient. He was replaced in January 2006 by Raouf Rasheed Abdel-Rahman.

"The implementation of Saddam's execution during Eid al-adha is illegal according to chapter 9 of the tribunal law. Article 27 states that nobody, even the president (Jalal Talabani), may change rulings by the tribunal and the implementation of the sentence should not happen until 30 days after publication that the appeals court has upheld the tribunal verdict.

The hanging during the Eid al-Adha period (also) contradicts Iraqi and Islamic custom. "Article 290 of the criminal code of 1971 (which was largely used in the Saddam trial) states that no verdict should implemented during the official holidays or religious festivals," he said.

In northern Baghdad, hundreds of Sunnis conducted a demonstration to mourn Saddam in a predominantly Sunni neighborhood.

"The Baath party and Baathists still exist in Iraq, and nobody can marginalize it," said Samir al-Obaidi, 48, who attended a Saddam memorial in the Azamiyah neighborhood.

[mandyzfelix]

I think we should take a page out of Hammurabi's Code and start up some eye for an eye ****.

[mandyzfelix]

Patriotic9,

Stop posting the exact same points. We know what your views are. Come up with something we haven't heard from you, or shutup.

[mandyzfelix]

"grazingoat - "That is an insult to the intelligence of Americans and to other nations'..."

Judging from the half-illiterate ramblings of the backwater liberal rubes replying on this message board, there isn't a whole lot of intelligence going around the democratic ranks for any remarks to be found insulting to their "intelligence".

Hard to even take some whining hick seriously when he can't even spell or write. For starters, you fools, I recommend "Spell Check"....."


Rusty... I have one thing to say to you... RIGHT ON. Seriously. I can't even be bothered to read the BS posted by some of these people. Patriotic9's posts are 25 line long sentences with every 5th word capitalized. I'm desperately trying not to bang my head on the wall.

[mandyzfelix]

And so... according to what some of you angry Muslims are saying, if I were to, say.... Kill everyone in my town just because, you know, I kind of felt like it.... all I have to do is make sure I'm executed for my crimes on a Christian holiday and overnight I'll become a hero and a victim with the Christians? Sweet.

[mandyzfelix]

"I'm Egyptian we feel severe rage and anger bec Saddam was killed in the first day of the Muslim holy feast,
Posted by ghareeb2 at 08:04 PM : Jan 01, 2007


Let's get this straight... WE DON'T GIVE A RAT's @SS IF WE OFFEND YOUR MUSLIM CUSTOMS. Got it?"


Yes. Exactly. WE are not Muslims, and your religious holidays are of no concern to us. If you killed a Christian on Christmas Day, we wouldn't expect you to give a flying **** either. Why should I feel bad for doing something on a day that has absolutely no relevance to me? I know the world is OCD about political correctness, but give me a break. It's not my problem. And newsflash, buddy... The US did not have completely and sole responsibility as to when Saddam was going to be executed.

[mandyzfelix]

"Where ever you look, YOU CAN SEE GW BUSH HAS BEEN READING (?) ABOUT HITLER, TRUMAN -- and deciding HE COULD DO IT ALSO, only not as well!This could go "on & on"...you know most of it anyway...MOST RATIONAL AMERICANS KNOW THAT GW BUSH WANTED SADDAM DEAD! Not tomorrow, TODAY!!"

#1 - What the **** are you talking about? I don't know about you, but it's complete news to me that Bush sits around studying up on Adolf Hitler. So I have no idea where that load of ridiculous BS came from.

#2 - Why wouldn't Bush want Saddam dead? I did! I'm glad he's dead! He was a horribly heartless, cold, and evil person who did not deserve an ounce of the air that he breathed. You posted that as if we should all be appalled and shocked at the idea of our president feeling that a mass murderer doesn't deserve to live. *GASP!*

[Bhobtoo]

I wanted to answer all of this garbage, but the thing will only let you post 1500 characters at a time. I tried to trim things down enough to answer misbegotten Joan in one post and couldn't do it. Psychotic01 would've taken several by himself.

Let me just say that I saw the bootleg version of the festivities and I'm glad the SOB (poor old man indeed. Shove it up your @ss )is dead. My baby brother was in Desert Storm and was disappointed that they weren't allowed to enter Bagdag.

For those who are sad for Sad'n'Insane: Hey, if you think things are so bad here I'd be happy to provide you with a one-way ticket to Iraq. Any takers? I didn't think so...

[Bhobtoo]

"...this fairly harmless old man. Tsk-tsk"
Posted by Agnim

I truly hope you're just being sarcastic here. In the few years since he was deposed there is a reasonable assumption that he and his cronies would have killed at least as many people as have died trying to set things right, and for no other reason than 'he just felt like it'.

"I just saw everything up until the floor fell, and I must say that it appeared more of a LYNCHING than a hanging. I am NOT defending the murderer(Saddam), but the way it was carried out...
If the United States government WANTED to DELAY Saddam's execution--WE WOULD HAVE DONE IT."
Posted by kstrisha

No, 'trisha, a lynching is where there is no trial and people just go do what they want to do, which wouldn't have been so wrong in this particular case. This is, after all, the payment he received for many years of well-known atrocities. It's not like anyone in the world had any reasonable doubt that he was the guilty party.

"Fascist America in our Media.
WAKE UP!!!

V for Vendetta%u2026
%u2026McCarthy
Lincoln
Salem Witch Trials"
Posted by fascistusa

Uh, what...? Are you on the right forum page?

[Bhobtoo]

Well, hi guys and gals, I'm sorry to be late to the discussion. Mr. Sad 'n' Insane just wasn't all that important to me on New Year's Day; besides which, I new I'd have to wait a day ro two to actually see the event (network news never shows the real stuff...). I had thought to make a replt to a few of the comments, but I can see that nobody would read a post as long as it would take, so I'll have to break it up a little bit.

There seems to be three camps here... The Muslims (and Muslim wantabes), the liberals, and the real people. let's start with the Muslim group first, shall we?


"The hanging during the Eid al-Adha period (also) contradicts Iraqi and Islamic custom"

If that's the case, then why did the Islamic Iraqis do it on that day? Maybe it's because they wanted to show the world that they hated this man so much that he doesn't deserve to be recognized and honored as any other Islamic Iraqi would have been? What do you think? Do you think they saw him as a piece of ***, too, just like the rest of the world?

"In fact, it is shameful that US forces only minutes earlier turned the former president of a sovereign country over to an un-dignified and politically aligned mob."
Posted by dance231

Or, just perhaps, that's exactly the way it should have been handled. We caught him and detained him; they tried, convicted and executed him.

[ceres5]

That bunch of Shiite Muslims that abused and humiliated Mr. Saddam Hussein during the last minutes of his life, acted quite macho as if they had a lot of cojones. They did that because the man was handcuffed. I bet that if Hussein had been free, all those macho men now would be squealing like pigs and trembling like chickens.

[ceres5]

Mr. Bush placed the life of Saddam Hussein on a silver tray to the mad anti-American Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. His followers acted very macho insulting and abusing a chained man about to be executed. The killing of Saddam Hussein will not improve the domestic ratings of Mr. Chimp, as he is desperately hoping for, but it certainly will increase by tens of millions the number of people around the world, who will have a deeper and paranoid hatred toward the American people. Furthermore, no credit or good will be received from Muqtada al-Sadr. I have never heard a single case in which dealing with a hyena brings generosity or gratitude.

[hillaryin08]

Suiteo1, we're just having fun with the libs. Not much entertainment over here but we have been having a blast over this website. Nothing like a platoon of guys hovering over a laptop laughing our heads off.

Another day in the life.

[suiteo1]

hillaryin08, If you really want them, you can have them! We won't be any better off than we are now.

[hillaryin08]

Oh yea well gess what Jodie(s), I'm an Infantryman in the combat zone in Afghanistan and we are sitting around laughing at the mindless liberal dribble and having a good time with it.

PS Didnt see the WWF last night.

[rusty50-2009]

patriotic9 - which loony bin let you out? Obviously they gave you a lobotomy before doing so, thank gawd. LOL !

Selah

[hillaryin08]

Thats right guys. When Hillary gets in as President, she will set this all straight!!! and best of all, we get Bill back too!!!

[sharncedar]

The only legal constitutional authority the US government has is to protect the citizens from imminent harm, which was the original WMD excuse.

They have no authority to do things like kill bad people in other countries, or establish nice governments in foreign countries, they may want to but have no legal authority to take those actions. They cannot legally spend tax money on such interesting projects.

Our government is not a dictatorship; there are written rules and limits on its powers and what it is allowed to do. Anything not specifically authorized in the constitution is reserved to the states and illegal for the federal government to do. Nation-building is certainly one such thing. Whatever happened to conservatives and the theory of limited government.

[sharncedar]

It's difficult to criticize the soldiers in Iraq for wanting to believe in the "commander in chief" since they have probably killed many people based on following his orders. If it is true that the war was for mistaken reasons, then they would have to live with the terrible burden of killing people for an unjust or unclear cause.

How this war is different than previous wars is that they have been ordered to kill many more civilians; in fact all of the killings for years have been civilians. They followed orders, they behaved as good Americans, yet they were betrayed utterly by the chickenhawk murderers in the civilian command.

There will be a long period, maybe for some never, to come to terms with killing so many people. This kind of guilt and shame grows over the years rather than diminishes. That's even for killing in clear self-defense soliers in enemy uniforms. Such clarity is not the case in Iraq.

I understand the desire in the short term to protect one's mental sanity by pretending the war makes sense or is for an actual purpose. But there were no WMD in Iraq, and our purpose was never to build that nation or to kill people like Saddam Hussein just because they are bad. Such purposes are not legal, the US government has authority to protect the American public (hence WMD as justification) but no authority to take these other actions. There is no constitutional authority for such things.

[patriotic9]

Rusty50
You are the one who is intentionally involved in ANTI-AMERICAN INSURGENCY by supporting the enemy of UNITED STATES named BUSH who is giving AMERICAN TAX PAYERS MONEY and WEAPONS to NOURI-AL-MALIKI and MUQTADA AL SADR for the killing of our troops in IRAQ.Who had got more then ONE HUNDRED THOUSANDS of our soliders killed in IRAQ to help IRAQI and ARAB RADICALS establish an ANTI-AMERICAN ISLAMIC EMPIRE from IRAN in the EAST to LEBANON in the WEST to help the 2nd coming of their final IMAM MEHDI who according to their THOUSAND YEARS OLD RADICAL IDEOLOGY'll kill all the NON-MUSLIMS(Just try to deny the fact that more then One Hundred thousands soldier have died in IRAQ,I'll come up with the valid reasons and proofs that you'll have to accept that fact unless you are a PSYCHOTIC who has been taught from the childhood that SANTA CLAUSE COMES ON A FLYING DEER TO DISTRIBUTE CANDIES)and to help the RADICAL SAUDIS to enjoy the OIL PROFIT by increase in OIL PRICES as a result of this war which they further invest in ANTI-AMERICAN INSURGENCY.

[bald25]

annd2302
Blind obedience is a dangerous thing. What's right is right and what's wrong is wrong. There is nothing right about Bush and his criminals. Young men and women are dying, while Bush and his gang is getting paid ($). Bush and his thugs can get away with these crimes because of people like you (want challenge or question a dame thing). This administration is only putting us in a deeper hole. By the way, fellow VET, I am retired military.