Saddam's stature has grown since his execution — when he answered insults and taunts with disdain — overshadowing the memories in much of the Arab world of the massacres and other atrocities committed by his regime.
The new video, showing Saddam's corpse with a gaping neck wound, was posted on the Internet early Tuesday. It was apparently shot with a camera phone minutes after he was hanged Dec. 30.
"A new film of the late immortal martyr, President Saddam Hussein," the web site said in a headline over a link to the video.
The claim that Saddam's execution has "overshadowed" the memories of his crimes and atrocities is fascinating. Because all through 2002 and early 2003 during the endless debate on regime change, war opponents assured we war supporters that invading Iraq would cause the "Arab street" to rise up. This street would overthrow regimes friendly to us in support of Saddam Hussein. That street loved Saddam that much.
But now, in order to discredit the execution of Saddam, we must be told by the nuance-enhanced that back when Saddam ruled Iraq, the Arab world knew all about his crimes and atrocities and so his stature was really quite small. So miniscule that Arabs didn't support him at all. Think really tiny. He was shunned, even.
I'm too tired of this to even debate whether Saddam was more popular then or now, and the mental gymnastics required to be a reporter who opposes the Iraq War.
But what I will say is that support for Saddam is rather moot since the SOB is quite dead.
I'm with Lileks on this:
"We had him in a box!" some said. That was debatable, then. Now he's in a box for real. It does not solve the problem of Iraq. But it solved the problem of Saddam.
The support of the street and two bits may get Saddam a cup of coffee, but it won't be of much practical use to him. He's dead, you know. No use giving mouth-to-mouth now.
