The Cellphone Video of Saddam's Execution

(Al Iraqiya - IRAQ/Reuters)


Courtesy of Google Video, we can all watch Saddam Hussein die.

The hooded executioners place the noose around the Butcher of Baghdad's neck. The final chapter of Saddam's reign of terror is at hand.

Saddam remains defiant. He prays.

There are many accounts of Saddam's final moments -- the bitter exchanges, the taunts, the last words.

(Here and here and here are a few.)


The trapdoor beneath him opens, like the entrance to Hell, and he dies.

The video shows his body swinging. The movement isn't a sign of life, just physics.

Yes, it's gruesome; sort of. It has a surreal quality. I've seen far more disturbing scenes in movies. I know this is different. It's real.

Still, it's not particularly shocking to me. It's a rather quiet demise for this monster.

Should I be troubled by my "so what?" reaction?

Should I care that he was executed and that's against my personal beliefs about capital punishment?

I suppose I should.

I don't.


(Biladi TV/Reuters)