Freedom Rider: Saddam Takes the Fall by Margaret Kimberley
“Killing Saddam is a public relations substitute for ending a war of aggression.”
Can Saddam Hussein rest in peace? If he is anything like George W. Bush he is resting comfortably for all eternity despite killing thousands of human beings. Hussein killed former political allies, Kuwaitis, Kurds, Iranian soldiers, Iranian civilians and his own sons-in-law. Like everyone who lives in such a manner he came to a bad end himself. On December 30, 2006 he was hanged for crimes against humanity.
December just wasn’t a good month for Saddam. In December 1983 Saddam Hussein met with Donald Rumsfeld, then special envoy to the Middle East for President Reagan. It seemed that Saddam was sitting pretty with a super power on his side, but little did he know the price for making a deal with another devil.
In December 2003 things had changed considerably between the former friends. Rumsfeld was one of the men responsible for occupying Iraq and Saddam was captured from an underground hiding place. In December 2006 the United States, Saddam’s former ally, engineered his execution.
Saddam Hussein committed his greatest evil when he was Uncle Sam’s buddy. It is true that he once had chemical weapons and used them, but that happened only with the help of helicopters purchased from American defense contractors Hughes and Bell.
While Iran is made out to be the bogeyman, that nation was the target of Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction. Washington’s fears of an Iranian victory were the impetus for the Saddam idol worship. When the United Nations condemned the use of WMDs in the Iran/Iraq war, Rumsfeld sat in Baghdad meeting with Iraqi foreign minister Tariq Aziz.
His assignment was to reassure the Iraqis that public condemnation of WMDs didn’t amount to much. Those condemnations were for public consumption only. Saddam could gas whomever he wanted because Rumsfeld and his boss Ronald Reagan could not have cared less.
The occupation of Iraq that began nearly four years ago has only become bloodier with time. The deaths of over 600,000 Iraqis is apparently insufficient. More have to die before the cutting and running reaches its inevitable conclusion.
“Saddam could gas whomever he wanted because Rumsfeld and his boss Ronald Reagan could not have cared less.”
In November 2006 American voters spoke clearly. Despite the corporate media’s deliberate obfuscation of its meaning, the results were clear. Even Americans who succumbed to war mania now want out and expect the Democrats to come up with an exit plan.
Unfortunately 2007 is looking a lot like 2003. Few politicians will speak up for the need to end the carnage or to obey the voters will. Killing Saddam is a public relations substitute for ending a war of aggression. Democratic Senate leader Harry Reid shrugged his shoulders as the so-called troop surge, a fancy term for escalation, was being planned. The voices of the people who made Reid majority leader don’t count for much.
If there was justice in the world Saddam would not have gone to the gallows alone. His fair weather friend Rummy should have joined him. He was recently fired from his Defense Secretary post, but he isn’t in danger from a hangman’s noose. Too bad. He has just as much blood on his hands as Saddam.A civilized nation would never have had anything to do with Saddam Hussein. Saddam’s rise to power came about only with American support. Saddam knew the secret to being on Uncle Sam’s evil but useful list. He was willing to kill anyone America didn’t like. In 1959 Iraqi prime minister Abdel Qassim was targeted for death by Saddam and a group of incompetent would be assassins.
“Saddam was willing to kill anyone America didn’t like.”
The assassination plot failed, but Saddam’s new friends in the CIA helped him escape Iraq and make his way to Syria, Lebanon and finally Egypt. He was able to stop running because he knew the words that were magic to Washington’s ears. He promised to help kill communists in the Iraqi government. In 1963 the Baath party, with the help of the CIA, killed Qassim. The rest is Saddam’s history.
Rumsfeld and his former bosses are war criminals too and they know it. That is why the current Bush administration removed over 8,000 pages from a United Nations report that documented Americas involvement in Saddam’s weapons program.
"The missing pages implicated twenty-four U.S.-based corporations and the successive Ronald Reagan and George Bush Sr. administration in connection with the illegal supplying of Saddam Hussein government with myriad weapons of mass destruction and the training to use them."
Saddam is like thousands of common criminals sitting in jail. They hang out with a bad crowd but end up taking the fall while their accomplices go free. The evil dictator turned out to be no more savvy than the average stupid crook.
It is ironic that the list of evildoers always includes former U.S. allies who have fallen out of favor. Evil dictators beware. It is wisest to do your dictating without the support of an American president. Remember Saddam before signing on to any Faustian bargains.
Margaret Kimberley's Freedom Rider column appears weekly in BA R. Ms. Kimberley lives in New York City, and can be reached via e-Mail at Margaret.Kimberley(at)BlackAgandaReport.Com. When sending email, please remember to replace the (at) with @.
Ms. Kimberley' maintains an edifying and frequently updated blog at freedomrider.blogspot.com. More of her work is also available at her Black Agenda Report archive page.
The United States has cut off channels for sending remittances to the island, leaving families who rely on the help – especially during the pandemic – without desperately needed resources.
Economic recovery is uneven, with Black workers least likely to be employed in the wake of the covid pandemic.
The heads of state of the regional block agreed on a 44-point declaration which addressed the strategy against COVID-19 and climate change and took a stand against the blockade on Cuba.
The memorial gathering for Glen Ford was held on Saturday, September 18, 2021 in New York City at the Riverside Church.
Memories of the last 20 years are rarely focused on increased state violence and repression in the post-9/11 world. The damage has largely been forgotten.
