Saddam to Hang

The AP reported today on the verdict in Saddam Hussein's trial in Baghdad.

Saddam Hussein was convicted and sentenced Sunday to hang for crimes against humanity in the 1982 killings of 148 people in a single Shiite town, as the ousted leader, trembling and defiant, shouted "God is great!"

Yes, God is great, and He is bringing justice to Iraq. Justice will be complete in this case when Saddam is finally dead.

As he, his half brother and another senior official in his regime were convicted and sentenced to death by the Iraqi High Tribunal, Saddam yelled out, "Long live the people and death to their enemies. Long live the glorious nation, and death to its enemies!" Later, his lawyer said the former dictator had called on Iraqis to reject sectarian violence and refrain from revenge against U.S. forces.

It's been a bit hard to believe at times that he would be convicted, after the way his trial had become a mixture between farce and anarchy. In fact, Sky News reported today that Saddam's attorney Ramsey Clark was thrown out of the court before the reading of the verdict.

A former US attorney general representing Saddam Hussein was thrown out of court before his client's verdict was read out.

Ramsey Clark was ordered out of the courtroom in Baghdad's fortified Green Zone.

Mr Clark had handed the judge a memorandum calling the trial a travesty. Judge Rauf Abdul Rahman pointed to Mr Clark and said in English: "Get out."

Beautiful!

Here is the text of President Bush's response to the verdict. An excerpt:

Iraq has a lot of work ahead as it builds its society that delivers equal justice and protects all its citizens. Yet history will record today's judgment as an important achievement on the path to a free and just and unified society.

The United States is proud to stand with the Iraqi people. We will continue to support Iraq's unity government as it works to bring peace to its great country.

We appreciate the determination and bravery of the Iraqi security forces, who are stepping forward to defend their free nation. And we give our thanks to the men and women of America's Armed Forces, who have sacrificed so much for the cause of freedom in Iraq – and they've sacrificed for the security of the United States. Without their courage and skill, today's verdict would not have happened.

On behalf of the American people, I thank every American who wears the uniform, I thank their families – and I thank them for their service and continued sacrifice.

I thank them as well.

There is one group, though, that is not surprised at all by the verdict, and that is those on the Left who saw the verdict date as a scheme hatched by the evil genius Karl Rove. They saw this coming and knew it would bode well for the GOP come election day. I hope they're right.

Update:

Iraq The Model's Mohammed has a post over at Pajamas Media with his first reaction to the verdict. It ends this way:

[T]oday that the truth is out there for the whole world to see, the criminals stand small and shaking while the families of the victims stand proud seeing justice served.

Right now volleys of bullets ring not far from where I sit, some are fired to express joy while others are fired in a desperate expression of denial but I have no doubt who is going to prevail. Although the road is long but we are walking forward and will not look back.

I salute the honorable special tribunal that challenged threats and risks and insisted on keeping up the work until the end, and today it brought back the pride of the land that wrote the world’s first laws.

I salute the witnesses who risked their lives to reveal the truth and expose the crimes of the dictator.

I salute the brave men and women of the coalition who came to this land and made this day possible.

Congratulations to all my Iraqi brothers and sisters on this glorious day.