It is distinctly possible that the Nazis ran a more objective court system than the new Iraqi government. In what other court system in the world can a defendant repeatedly stand in the docket a repeatedly yell at the judge and launch into irrelevant tirades about a court’s legitimacy? In what other court system in the world can the accused simply refuse to attend court on their own say so? This is not a court proceeding, this is a circus that makes a mockery of justice.

Saddam Hussein is a defendant, accused of very heinous crimes. A high profile defendant, yes, but a defendant nonetheless and he should be treated as such. He should not be allowed to launch into pro-Saddam diatribes in the middle of court. If this defendant is incapable of maintaining self control in court then he should be restrained and if need be bound as his lawyers argue over his fate. Saddam, ever the master of treachery and propaganda, is using this trial to achieve his own ends. He seeks to castigate others while absolving himself of any blame or responsibility for years of slaughter and mass murder.

There is no doubt Hussein will be found guilty (but then again perhaps there is doubt), and he knows that, but he now seeks to change his image in the mind of ordinary Iraqis, championing himself as a martyr for Iraqi nationalism. Let us not forget that these proceedings are televised and shown live to the Iraqi public. The Iraqi government must take steps now to restore some semblance of justice. If this trail denigrates into a farce, as it appears to be doing, the message will not be lost on the Iraqi public. Their respect for justice and the rule of law will be sorely tested.

While we can understand why the Iraqis wanted to televise the trial, to show Saddam as the caged animal he is, it was most certainly a mistake to allow this trial to be televised. It gives Saddam Hussein a regular platform to launch into his tirades, like Mussolini from the balcony. The former Iraqi leader is far too shrewd for his captors, having escaped from similar predicaments in the past. Whether or not he will escape from this trial is now anybody’s guess.
http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/12/22/saddam.trial/index.html?section=cnn_latest