Saddam Hussein, our spitting image

Spitting image is a person who resembles a parent so closely that he must have been replicated rather than going through the gene sharing birth process. He was spit out whole by one parent. Newsweek's latest issue (Sept 23) carries the cover story "How we helped create Saddam, and can we fix Iraq after he's gone?" The story mentions that recent documents disclose U.S. aid to Iraq includiing biological weapons. It also mentions assistance for Saddam's nuclear program. A more complete description can be found in William Blum's Rogue State based on Senate reports issued in 1994. Blum adds that " ... U.S. exports to Iraq included the precursors to chemical-warfare agents, plans for chemical and biological warfare production facilities and chemical-warhead filling equipment." The exports continued at least through the end of 1989, Blum states.

Newsweek investigators implied that the U.S. held its nose as it helped Saddam. Jean Kirkpatrick, former Republican ambassador to the U.N., once stated that conservatives are much more comfortable with dictators because they tend to be anti-Communist. Well, dah.

As an example of how disgusting Saddam is, the Newsweek reporters cited an incident where Hussein had people summarily executed during a party congress. The reason was to demonstrate what would happen to anyone who even comtemplated challenging him. His spitting image in America has those same pre-emptive urges as exemplified by uncharged detainees and the PATRIOT Act. The Bill of Rights should apply only to submissive, obedient and meek Americans, Bush believes. Saddam would agree whole-heartedly.

This is not to say that Hussein's actions can be excused. On the contrary, the Left was calling Hussein a Hitler during the 1980s when the Reagan Administration was coddling him and catering to his every whim. Bush Sr. sent a team under Al Simpson in the summer of 1990 to reassure Hussein that only the fanatic left and some media believed he was not a nice guy. Bush loved him like a brother.

The Newsweek article portrayed the U.S. government as a democracy-loving, justice-seeking, humanity-advocating institution. It failed to mention the dozens of other brutal dictators that same government supported or even installed. The main reason the U.S. supported Iraq was because in 1953 the U.S. had installed the Shah in Iran replacing the very popular Mossadegh. In 1979, the Iranian people retaliated, removing the Shah and taking U.S. embassy staff hostage. Thanks to an ill-advised, senseless, undemocratic U.S. action taken by Eisenhower, today we are being dragged into another ill-advised, senseless, costly action by another member of the party of Joseph McCarthy. What consequenses lay ahead for us and our children in 50 years.