Comments on: DEMOCRAT REACTIONS

By: Little Miss Attila

Little Miss Attila — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 +0000

To me, it really came across like, "okay. Whatever. This is good, but we still need to get out of Dodge."

Say what . . . .?

By: Mithras

Mithras — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 +0000

Take a good look at Saddam's picture. He wasn't directing the attacks against U.S. forces. His capture is a good thing for Iraqis, but it doesn't lessen so much as alter the dynamic of the war.

By: James Joyner

James Joyner — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 +0000

I don't think anyone was claiming he was actually running the insurgency.

By: Norbizness

Norbizness — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 +0000

Definitely an odd editorial comment by you on Dean, James, although I'm sure something short of "I'm immediately dropping out of the race" would not have satisfied a lot of people. And I'm guessing the "back" could be plausibly read to mean he scaling back of efforts after the UN building was bombed.

By: James Joyner

James Joyner — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 +0000

What was odd about it? It was a pretty bland statement--he didn't say anything. But rather than simply saying how proud he was of the troops and how great it was to capture a tyrannt, he blathers on about the "international community" as if they had anything to do with it.

By: Kate

Kate — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 +0000

I've been reading various commentary all day, and what keeps bringing me up short is the cautionary argument that "Saddam obviously wasn't directing attacks from a dirt hole, and therefore, don't expect them to wind down" ...- as though discovering him in a dirt hole means he's been trapped there during the past 6 months WTF? Was he controlling attacks? Obviously, not all of them. And no question that they're sure to continue. But the conclusion that he was somehow incapable of involvement, because he was found in a dirt pit "without even a cell phone", does remind me of the type of logic I see in my dog, when, having discovered a stray toy under the couch, barks "Eureka!" and continues to go back to that spot for the rest of the week, looking for more.

By: James Joyner

James Joyner — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 +0000

Kate,

My guess is that he was in that hidey hole for no more than a few days. But it's always struck me as unlikely he was issuing too many commands--he didn't have the instruments of power anymore and was too busy hiding. With that reward money out there, it was too risky to do much communicating.

By: The Truth Laid Bear

The Truth Laid Bear — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 +0000

Saddam Captured Alive: Weblog Reactions
Saddam Hussein has been captured in Iraq. I'm still waking up and not suitable for rational commentary yet, other than a simple "YES!" when I heard the news. So here's a quick roundup of the word around the blogosphere, by

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