Wednesday, October 19, 2005

Symbolism & Resonance

Last night, one of the Eschaton commenters asked why the Republicans aren't making a huge, triumphant, we-were-proved-fucking-right deal about Saddam Hussein's trial. My initial thoughts were:

A) If removing Saddam is one of their few remaining rationales for invading Iraq, and Saddam ends up looking like a pitiful old man, then it reinforces the idea that the Republicans are bloodthirsty bullies who sacrificed 2,000 American lives and tens of thousands of Iraqi lives to remove... a non-threat. And...

B) They reeeeaaaallllly don't want people thinking about Iraq. At. All.


But as the trial gets underway, and given some other headlines that are floating around at the moment, I'm thinking that there is perhaps another reason the Republicans don't want to make a big deal about Saddam being on trial. Namely that, very shortly, it will give him something in common with Bush & Cheney's entire inner circle, if not Little George and Big Dick themselves. I'm guessing it's really not a connection they want people to make.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have some cleaning and laundry and maniacal cackling to attend to.


UPDATE: Eschaton commenter jdw has reminded me of another reason (which I think I mentioned in the comments last night and promptly forgot again) - they're afraid he might say something embarrassing about the good old days when Saddam was our best buddy and we helped him grow his military, maybe even the WMD stockpile he used to have...

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Fucking brilliant, as I have come to expect of you, kind sir!
.

spork_incident said...

Spot on.

Of course the Iraqi court will no doubt prevent any testimony about Field Marshal von Rumsfeld's little visit two decades ago.

Neil Shakespeare said...

The MSM must be feeling like pigs in shit...well, they are anyway I guess...in anticipation of all these trials! Now, if they can work a bloody glove and a dead white woman in there they'll probably overdose on orgasms.

And thanks, Eli, for the link to that insurgent band '7 Seconds of Love'. I have updated my post to warn my readers that not ALL insurgents have gone to the Moon.

Eli said...

Thanks, Jeffro & spork!


The administration trials will be a real test of the theory that the MSM is entirely driven by ratings and sensation, which I stopped believing when they shrugged off the male prostitute in the WH press corps.

I had no idea that the Sponge Monkeys had an actual band name - I don't pay attention to such things...

scout prime said...

I think a good number of Republicans are just too busy with attorney conferences and don't have time

Eli said...

I'm just not sure I believe that. They're not *all* under indictment.

Not yet, anyway.

And propaganda is their way of life. It's like saying they're too preoccupied to breathe...

Jeff (no, the other one) said...

Once upon a time, I think they dreamed of Saddam-on-trial as being a shining triumphant moment. What a difference a couple years, and pending indictments, make (makes -- whatever...).

I think Saddam would put on a pretty defiant show and drag Rumsfeld et al. through the mud with him, if allowed. So the Noise Machine is happy to let the trial play out, quietly, to distract from all the other scandals, but they've GOT to be disappointed.