Butcher of Baghdad No More

Saddam Hussein's first actions as president included standing before the Iraqi legislature and calling out the names of his opponents, who were then dragged out and executed. So began the legacy of the Butcher of Baghdad who has some 500 additional documented crimes to his credit. This morning before dawn, Saddam Hussein was hanged for just one of those crimes - one of the more dispicable and convictable crimes - the murder of 148 people in a chemical attack. A vicious animal has been put down.

Some have said that the new Iraqi government is acting as America's puppet. Or this is a personal vendetta by the Bush family. But common decency is universal, and when you consider what this bastard did, he really did get a fair trial by his fellow Iraqis. Genocide and crimes against humanity are unacceptable. Period. If America is expected by the world community to stand up for the cause of human rights, then I'm proud to be an American today.

Some say there will be reprisals. But for now there is dancing in the streets of Iraq. Imagine that.