Blair opposes Hussein hanging

[bigtree]

November 6, 2006

The prime minister appeared uncomfortable when pressed repeatedly about the use of the death penalty against Saddam, repeating his general opposition to capital punishment several times but avoiding direct questions about the former dictator's fate.

"Our position on the death penalty is well known. We're opposed to it," Blair said.

"You oppose his execution?" asked Sky News television reporter Adam Boulton.

"Adam. Excuse me. That is just enough, thank you. ... I happen to want to express myself in my own way, if you don't mind," Blair retorted.

Blair relented under intense questioning, saying in response to other journalists' questions that "We are against the death penalty ... whether it's Saddam or anybody else."

http://edition.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/11/06/saddam.blair.reax.ap/index.html



http://journals.democraticunderground.com/bigtree

[NOLADEM]

1. Boy was I wrong about Blair

I thought during the Clinton Administration that he was a smart, skilled politician with a good heart.

Turns out he just wants to be an American poodle really bad, regardless of who holds the White House.

What a fucking stooge.

What did you think was gonna happen to Saddam when we tried him, moron? Did the Poodle really think we were gonna lock him up for life and give him a chance to talk, write a book, release stuff through his lawyers, etc?

Tony, Tony, Tony. You have BLOWN your legacy for a chance to sit in a Chimp's lap. How very strange.

[malaise]

5. That fugger can't publicly support hanging

not when the European Council has already denounced this verdict.

[hopein08]

10. Dumb question but they denounced it because of the hanging, right?

Or was it something else?

[Idioteque]

11. Because of the death penalty

The vast majority of Europeans, including Britons, oppose the death penalty.

[BruceMcF]

6. He is a smart, skilled politician.

And he does give a good facsimile of having a good heart ... that being one of the skills.

However, his foreign policy strategy of increasing the leverage of the UK by cozying up to Washington, which seemed to be working so well as the US geared up to invade Afghanistan, ran up against an obstinate White House determination to invade Iraq, as called for by the neocons (http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2006/12/neocons200612">who have now abandoned the WH as being too incompetent to implement their brilliant plans).

On the biggest foreign policy decision to face a UK politician in quite a while, whether to enable the US to act as a bull in a china shop or to try to force it to engage with the rest of the Western World, he picked door number 1, and that has made all the difference.

[sweetheart]

2. A war criminal sees the noose...

... "oh dear, its too close, take it away."

[indepat]

3. Beautiful

[BlooInBloo]

4. As do all civilized people.

[sui generis]

7. exactly. There are far worthier things to go after Blair about.

Also, it should make Bush's balls crawl. If we're going to support hanging for Saddam we need to support hanging for Bush. And his cabinet.

A war criminal is a war criminal, regardless of nationality.

[wicket]

8. kick

:kick:

[Bobbie Jo]

9. Is there anyone left in the international community...

that Bush hasn't offended, angered, or alienated?

[okieinpain]

12. I'm for the death penalty, but it would be better if he is given life.

[sweetheart]

13. dictatorz is different

The problem with dictators, is that their loyal following and return are just
a hairs breadth away, until they die. Bush will be a danger to humanity until
he leaves us, ceaucescu was a danger until they shot him. Blair will be a
danger defending warmongering until he is gone. The very tolerance of a
warmongering mass murderer in society corrupts everything, and every footprint
they leave is more than subversive, it is a threat to the return to their
pasts, which in these small few cases, we can't afford. Its not worth it
for 1 human life, to risk so many thousands of others. If a handful of these
mass murderers at the top, who are very well known, were put to the chair or
the noose, then we can sleep restfully knowing the evil bugbears of the day
are not coming back.

High treason and war crimes, i support the death penalty. Bush, cheney and
the whole lot 've earned it, kissinger too. And while they remain free,
war crimes are ok, and it continues.

[Hubert Flottz]

14. It's okay to bomb women and children to pieces though, right Tony?

Death By Collateral damage is different than killing "ruthless dictators." hey Tony? DEAD IS DEAD to the dead.