It is ironic and repugnant that the Bush administration has clouded the moral clarity regarding Saddam Hussein's brutal tyranny.
Rather than try Saddam in international courts, he is being tried by a court system installed by a foreign, invading and occupying army. This army attacked without provocation or U.N. approval. Saddam is often denied access to his lawyers, and the trial is often held in sessions closed from public scrutiny. Is this a fair trial?
It has been three years since the U.S. "liberated" Iraq. A tyrant was removed from power. Democracy and a new constitution were implemented. Hundreds of billions of dollars were spent.
Saddam's trial hinges on killings that occurred over a decade ago. Yet there are hundreds being murdered and dumped in mass graves today.
Will the Bush regime be tried for using the military to kill Iraqis who resist its power? Will the new Iraqi leadership be tried for killings by its military and police against Iraqis who resist its power? Who will be tried for torture? Who will be tried for looting and theft? Just Saddam?
It used to be clear that Saddam was evil because he abused his power, torturing and killing Iraqis. Yet these same evils occur today under U.S. military oversight and the rule of a new democratically elected Iraqi regime.
There is little moral high ground left today, and that's shameful, embarrassing and wrong.