The Wire

Saddam Hussein faces death by hanging for ordering the deaths of 148 Shi’ite residents of Dujail, north of Baghdad, following an assassination attempt in 1982. Many Iraqis in and outside the country have welcomed news of the imminent execution, and while there were some protests against the verdict, the majority of demonstrations in Iraq have been in support of the decision. Indeed for the United States this is the best story to come out of Iraq in months….so not surprisingly some in America, are shaking their heads at the timing of the announcement of the decision, coming just two days before the mid-term congressional elections. The November 7 polls are expected to see a voter backlash against the Republican Party because of the ongoing carnage and chaos in Iraq. Scott Horton is a professor of Law at Columbia University and the chairman of the committee on international law at the New York Bar Association. He’s also practices law within Iraq. He outlined why the timing of the announcementw as suspicious.