February 24, 2005
EICHMAN IN BAGHDAD:
Kurd who will seal Saddam's fate: Favourite for presidency insists on a federal, secular state (Anthony Loyd, 2/24/05, Times of London)
JALAL TALABANI, the former Kurdish guerrilla commander, prisoner and outlaw who seems likely to become Iraq’s President, has more reason than most to want Saddam Hussein dead.The enmity between the two men is such that on one occasion, during the brutal struggle between Saddam’s forces and the Kurds in northern Iraq, Saddam offered an amnesty to every Kurdish fighter except Mr Talabani.
As President, Mr Talabani would have a chance to turn the tables on the fallen dictator. If Saddam is convicted of war crimes, including the slaughter of more than 182,000 Kurds, Mr Talabani would sign his execution warrant.
But he has a problem. “I’ve thought about it and this is one of my big problems,” he told The Times in an interview at his base in Qala Chwallan, northern Iraq. “Why? Because as a lawyer I signed an international appeal against executions and now this gentleman will be sentenced to death, and Iraqi people want to sentence him, to kill him. What can I do?”
Asked if he can resolve the dilemma, he laughed. “I hope so.”
Can what remains of the Left's opposition to the war--basically the Tmes editorial page, Hollywood and congressional Democrats--really endure War Crimes coverage? Posted by Orrin Judd at February 24, 2005 12:00 AM
We'll hear way more about the Michael Jackson trial than we'll probably hear about Saddam at most of the media outlets. Big coverage for the opening, and covering for the end of the trial and verdict, but in-between when the testimony on the worst of the crimes is being given, it's off to Page A-18land, or on TV, a 10-second voiceover or scroll along the bottom of the screen.
Posted by: John at February 24, 2005 1:20 AMWe can expect the MSM to run a bunch of stories about how the Kurds somehow 'deserved' their fate. There will be stories of how the Kurds engaged in revolt against the 'legitimate' government of Saddam, how they would 'mistreat' women, even their involvement in the Ottoman massacre of Armenian Christians during the First World War, and their putative oppression of Iraqi Turkomans.
The Kurds will experience a demonization reserved only for Afrikaners in the American media and for Jews in Europe.
Posted by: Bart at February 24, 2005 6:39 AMYou underestimate the MSM's resilience and intellectual dishonesty.
Like John, I think you will see some benign neglect of the trial (a la Afghanistan after it became clear it was working). Unlike Bart, I don't think they will portray Kurds or Shiites as aggresors, BUT they will give Saddam and Ramsey Clarke ALL the air time they want to indict Reagan-Bush I on conspiracy (for "arming" Saddam), Bush II for starting an "ilegal" war, and they may even throw Clinton in for balance (supporting genocidal sanctions).
Posted by: Moe from NC at February 24, 2005 7:18 AMThe truly Machievellian move would be for the Iraqis to outlaw the death penalty. Call it a "shock and awe" campaign against the overwhelmingly liberal MSM, the cynical Western Left, and the dictatorships of Arab and Muslim world.
Posted by: MB at February 24, 2005 8:01 AM