June 20, 2005

Yeah, I hate Froot Loops too.

I love the first paragraph for this news story:
Saddam Hussein loves Doritos, hates Froot Loops, admires President Reagan, thinks Clinton was "OK" and considers both Presidents Bush "no good." He talks a lot, worries about germs and insists he is still president of Iraq.
Before he liked Cheetos, then he got some Doritos and forgot all about his Cheetos.

And here are the handsome soldiers who guarded Saddam and provided this useful info to GQ magazine. Saddam "was interested in their lives and even invited them back to Iraq when he returns to power."

17 comments:

Sloanasaurus said...

At least Goering was able to convince his guard to slip him some cyanide.

Of course I would argue that Saddam was worse than Goering. Far worse. In fact I would argue that Saddam is worse than Hitler. At least Hitler had the intention of success for his own people and the success of his nation (even if he was a monster to humanity).

Saddam cared for no one but himself.

Unfortunately leftists in this country continue to apologize for Saddam.

Larry in Gibbsville said...

I found this story a little disturbing, almost like someone is trying to make this guy "human."

vnjagvet said...

It reminds me of some of the stuff they used to write about Hitler and Stalin to show the banality of Evil. At least, though, the reasons for writing them were pointedly stated in the articles. While I haven't read the article, my impression is that it was not written in that style.

But it kinda has the same effect on me. Raisin Bran, indeed.

Ann Althouse said...

Larry: I thought about that before posting, but my decision to post this represents my conclusion that it shows he's only a man. He is a human being. He's done terrible wrongs, and he's been idolized, but those who idolized him would do well to see him as a man. See him as a man, and then judge him for what he's done. We don't need to pump him into some big monster. That's propaganda. I think it's helpful to show him on a human scale.

Squints said...

"...worries about germs..."

Heh.

Larry in Gibbsville said...

I agree with you, Ann. I should have elaborated more, I just don't want him "humanized" to the point where he becomes a victim. We've all seen that in the past where someone who committed terrible crimes is converted from monster to sympathetic victim. While I haven't read the article, the stories I've read concerning this are appearing to take the first steps down that very path. And that is what disturbed me.

NotClauswitz said...

The only problem I see with the whole "human-scalization" of Saddam isthe relative absence of media coverage for the other "large-scale" Saddam activities: the "mass graves" containing all the "child-sized" and "female-figured" corpses with bullet-holes in their heads.
Their favorite weapon is the AK-47 from Russia, France supplied him with jets, and those wacky German test-equipment incubators for biological "Agricultural" experiments - we were hardly his only or exclusive "friends," really Chirac was a much bigger pal, and beneficiary.
Hey if he likes the Doritos, wait till he gets a load of them Twinkies!!

Steven said...

Kathleen --

What weapons?

As recorded by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, hardly a right-wing think tank, the United States sold Saddam Hussein a handful of unarmed helicopters. Those helicopters, in total value, constituted 0.47% of all Iraqi arms acquisitions from 1970-2004.

By comparison, the Soviet Union and its Eastern European satellites supplied 69.98% of Iraq's arms in that time period; France provided 12.43%; China provided 11.05%; Brazil provided 1.65%; Egypt provided 1.18%; and Denmark provided 0.52%.

The Soviets armed Hussein. France armed Hussein. China armed Hussein. The U.S. did not.

What the U.S. gave Saddam Hussein were agricultural export credits. This means that, when the U.S. government bought grain from American farmers as part of price support efforts, it then gave the grain to Saddam Hussein's government at reduced prices.

So, while France was supplying Saddam Hussein with anti-aircraft missles, the Chinese were selling him automatic rifles, and the Soviets were providing tanks and Scuds, we gave him . . . wheat.

Oh, and a photo with Rumsfeld.

Sloanasaurus said...

It is the same leftists who apologized for Stalin or Mao or Kim Il Sung. IN fact they decided to hang a large wall poster of Mao in the new Minneapolis Public Library. Perhaps someday Saddam will be there to represent the victims of the big bad United States.

These days many on the left they pretend to be "Palestinian supporters," and Ward Churchill types or even "human shields."

By the way, where were all the human shields during the Iraqi Election.....wait..I guess it was the U.S. and Iraqi military.

Sloanasaurus said...

Althouse said " but those who idolized him would do well to see him as a man. See him as a man, and then judge him for what he's done. We don't need to pump him into some big monster. That's propaganda. I think it's helpful to show him on a human scale..."

Maybe this is true, (I would replace fear with the word idolize.) However, one potential problem with this statement is that it assumes a Western point of view. It could be that in the Muslim world getting your head chopped off would be far more "humanizing" than any video of the man in prison.

Pancho said...

Cheetos, Doritos?

I'm sure that we, the taxpaying public, are going to get stuck for the cost of his Zocor©.

Ann Althouse said...

Sloanasaurus: I think being an ordinary prisoner drags a person down to size more than and execution. An execution can transform a mere man into a legend.

Sloanasaurus said...

Kathleen B. is right that we "supported" Saddam in the past especially in his war with Iran. I recall the media demonizing the Shia (of Iran) and making the Sunni's as being the more civilized ones. How slanted that has turned out to be.

We learned a valuable lesson in supporting one dictator against another. At least Americans stopped supporting Saddam (something the French haven't figured out yet).

Sloanasaurus said...

Althouse: I agree with your point, but only as long as the "humanizing" eventually leads to execution. There is no better justice for a mass murderer other than an indecent demise.

Wave Maker said...

As a contrast to how former tyrants were regarded before they were executed, I commend to you the treatment afforded Nicolae Caucescu (et ux) of Romania -- no interview, no press coverage, no pictures in their underwear, just brought outside and shot in their heavy wool coats, defiant to the last.

What's notable about Saddam's interview is the absence of any introspection of importance. Froot Loops and Doritos.

Sloanasaurus said...

Leftists may not "support" Saddam, but they are apologists for him and his atrocities in that they opposed any meaningful effort to depose Saddam and now gripe about his legal defense.

Isn't there a famous quote: "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing..."

Laura Reynolds said...

Kathleen: Ramsey Clark, google his name and Saddam's