Nov. 5, 2006
 
Editorial: Saddam to Hang, But Now What?
 
The news just out of Baghdad is that the long-awaited verdict is in: Saddam Hussein is guilty and will hang for his crimes against the Iraqi people. If ever there was a man who deserved such a punishment, it is Saddam.
 
Unfortunately, that neat and tidy judgment, no matter how correct it is, may be the cause of still more violence in Iraq and perhaps on a scale unseen since the American occupation. "No good deed goes unpunished" is an old adage that comes to mind.
 
Americans have shown a fondness for strong leaders when choosing their president -- men who will not back down when America is threatened. We also like a president who is able to convey in a few clear sentences their beliefs on foreign policy. Certainly, one can see how George W. Bush's Texas swagger had appeal back in 2000 and even 2004.
 
But being clear, understandable, and strong in the defense of America should not be mutually exclusive with having a bit of sophistication in how the world operates--and which advisers seem to have reality on their side.
 
One need only remember how Ronald Reagan had short, quick strikes on rogues like Libya's Moammar Qaddafi to the wisdom there: overpowering American military might but in limited quantities. It was just enough to make our point.
 
Granted, the world scene following 9/11 was much more complex than the 1980s, even with the tension between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. That was no picnic, either, and every president has unique situations to fight. But few would argue that George W. Bush had anything but a highly unique and complicated situation on his hands following the 9/11 attacks.
 
However, that is all the more reason to get the very best advice possible and to forego just "going with your gut." Many different avenues were present after the 9/11 attacks, and the initial thrust into Afghanistan to neutralize the Taliban was a great first strike.
 
But the sudden left-hand turn into Iraq seems even more troublesome now than it did then. We have yet to hear a truly cogent reason for it, and now our armed forces are in the middle of what may be a huge civil war there.
 
How did we get there? Decision-makers like George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, and Donald Rumsfeld, that's how. They should wipe the smirks off their faces permanently and think afresh. Otherwise, more American soldiers, treasure, and national prestige will be lost.
 
And in a post-9/11 world, we need to conserve those precious commodities, not spend them like drunken sailors.