Hang em high

From AP-

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Saddam Hussein was convicted and sentenced Sunday to hang for crimes against humanity in the 1982 killings of 148 people in a single Shiite town, as the ousted leader, trembling and defiant, shouted "God is great!"

As he, his half brother and another senior official in his regime were convicted and sentenced to death by the Iraqi High Tribunal, Saddam yelled out, "Long live the people and death to their enemies. Long live the glorious nation, and death to its enemies!" Later, his lawyer said the former dictator had called on Iraqis to reject sectarian violence and refrain from revenge against U.S. forces.

The trial brought Saddam and his co-defendants before their accusers in what was one of the most highly publicized and heavily reported trials of its kind since the Nuremberg tribunals for members of Adolf Hitler's Nazi regime and its slaughter of 6 million Jews in the World War II Holocaust

"The verdict placed on the heads of the former regime does not represent a verdict for any one person. It is a verdict on a whole dark era that has was unmatched in Iraq's history," said Nouri al-Maliki, Iraq's Shiite prime minister.

Some feared the court decision could exacerbate the sectarian violence that has pushed the country to the brink of civil war, after a trial that stretched over nine months in 39 sessions and ended nearly 3 1/2 months ago. The verdict came two days before midterm elections in the United States widely seen as a referendum on the Bush administration's policy in Iraq. U.S. and Iraqi officials have denied the timing was deliberate.

No matter what you think of the war, the verdict is a triumph for humanity and the Iraqi people. A mass murderer has been brought to justice.

Others blogging on the verdict- Jo's Cafe, Basil's Blog, Michelle Malkin, Cao's Blog, Stuck on Stupid, Junkyard Blog, Big Dog, Iowa Voice, Sister Toldjah, A Blog for All, Sensible Mom, Chris Lawrence at OTB, Stop the ACLU, Uncooperative Blogger, Gay Patriot, Hooah Wife and Friends,
Captain's Quarters, Jim at Wizbang, Bright & Early, My Vast Right Wing Conspiracy,