Cranky Saddam

It seems like Saddam's day didn't get off to a good start. Maybe he didn't have his Froot Loops. Ramsey Clark should look into that. As Al Gore likes to point out, the U.S. military routinely tortures its prisoners.

Torture would explain Saddam's crankiness.

Poor Saddam.

From the BBC:

Saddam Hussein's trial has begun in Baghdad with the ousted Iraqi leader defiantly questioning the validity of the court before pleading not guilty.

He refused to confirm his identity telling the presiding judge: "Who are you? What is all this?"

All eight defendants pleaded not guilty to charges of ordering the killing of 148 Shia men in 1982. If convicted, they could face the death penalty.

After just over three hours, the trial was adjourned until 28 November.

Saddam Hussein's defence team had said they wanted a postponement to prepare their case, but Reuters news agency quoted the chief judge as saying the main reason was witnesses had not shown up.

The trial began in an imposing marble building that once served as the National Command Headquarters of Saddam Hussein's Baath Party, in the heavily fortified Green Zone in the Iraqi capital.

TV pictures showed Saddam Hussein and his co-defendants being led into pens in the courtroom.

The 68-year-old former leader was wearing a dark suit with an open-necked shirt and carried a copy of the Koran.

As he was being led in by two guards, he gestured with his hand to slow them down.

Asked to confirm his name by the chief judge, Rizgar Mohammed Amin, a Kurd, Saddam Hussein refused.

Amid some verbal sparring with the judge, the former Iraqi leader stated: "I preserve my constitutional rights as the president of Iraq. I do not recognise the body that has authorised you and I don't recognise this aggression.

"What is based on injustice is unjust ... I do not respond to this so-called court, with all due respect."

Later, as the trial adjourned, he was involved in what appeared to be a scuffle with the guards who wanted to grab his arms to escort his out.

But this appeared to be for the benefit of the media, reports the BBC's John Simpson from inside the courtroom.

Right from the start this was a battle for control of the courtroom and beyond that, for Iraqi public opinion, our correspondent says.

As the proceedings went on, Saddam Hussein interrupted the prosecutor several times, accusing him of lying, but the judges decided not to silence him.

In Dujail, a few demonstrators gathered in the main square chanting: "Saddam Hussein should be executed, him and his whole family."

But in the former leader's home town of Tikrit, supporters vowed loyalty to Saddam Hussein with a banner saying: "We sacrifice our blood and soul for you, Saddam."


Iraqi government spokesman Laith Kubba defended the decision to put the former leader on trial.

"Iraqis have not forgotten yet that the reason why the country is in such a mess, it's because one man stole the will of 27 million people for 35 years and pushed them into wars and misery," Mr Kubba told a news conference.

But human rights groups have expressed concerns.

A Human Rights Watch report says the Iraqi Special Tribunal "runs the risk of violating international standards for fair trials".

Amnesty International has sent three delegates to Baghdad to ensure Saddam Hussein receives a fair trial, and to oppose the death penalty if he is found guilty.

Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International can relax for a while.

With the adjournment until November 28, Saddam can rest comfortably for over another month.

I think it's important to remember that Saddam is not the only one who deserves to be treated fairly. The surviving family members of the people he slaughtered deserve justice as well.

If they are to be taken seriously, the human rights organizations acting as advocates for Saddam should show at least as much concern for the victims' families as they are showing for Saddam. Do these groups really want to see justice done or do they simply want to shelter a murderer?

It wasn't wise for the judges to allow Saddam to browbeat the prosecutor. Furthermore, the guards that Saddam scuffled with when he left the courtroom should not have let him have his way.

If how things went in court today are an indication of things to come, it appears that Saddam will not be cooperating. Instead, to the extent that he's able, he'll be calling the shots.

If this trial is to be considered legitimate, the judges need to remedy that before November 28. They must control Saddam and demand order during the proceedings.

Clearly, Saddam's confinement hasn't changed him. The deaths of his sons didn't cause him to reevaluate the course of his life. He has no remorse for his reign of terror. In his mind, he's committed no crimes. He still thinks of himself as Iraq's leader.

Apparently, once a brutal dictator, always a brutal dictator.

I don't think Saddam is a good candidate for rehabilitation.