A big hurrah from this opponent of the war in Iraq for the capture of Saddam Hussein. This evil ex-tyrant should be forced to pay for his crimes. Now it’s up to the administration to face the more important, long-term issues. The capture of Hussein does nothing to solve the problems facing occupation authorities in Iraq. The attacks against American soldiers and Iraqi authorities will continue because they had little to do with Hussein and everything to do with the occupation of their country by foreign military forces. The Iraqi people will perhaps become even more impatient with the military occupiers of their country now that the whole rationale for the invasion–to depose Hussein–has become moot.
It’s time to stop treating Iraq like a spoil of war. We can’t afford to exact petty vengeance against nations that in good conscience opposed the invasion of a sovereign nation based on rationales that, to date, seem flimsy. Instead we should bring in the international community and create in Iraq a force for stability, rather than a justification for resentment against the United States. When the administration has done that, I’ll put up the “Mission Accomplished” banner myself.
