POLITICS: Bush says he does not fear violent reaction to Saddam photos

Adorned on the front page of the British tabloid The Sun and the American New York Post is a picture of the former leader of Iraq, Saddam Hussein dressed in nothing but his underwear. These photos which, were taken over a year ago, were released only days ago. President Bush does not fear of any violent reaction from the Middle Eastern community.



Others believe that the release of these photos is a direct violation of the Geneva Codes and show poor taste in the U.S. government. These pictures were obviously taken when the U.S. had complete custody of Saddam Hussein which is not a long timeframe.

Hopefully these photos will illustrate that Saddam, while a former dictator of Iraq, is just a normal man. He puts his pants on leg at a time, just like any of us.

[edit on 5/21/2005 by Simulacra]

Well, this shows bush intelligence . If he thinks these photos wont get a violent reaction he is sorly mistaken. Arabs will view it as an attack on them.

Well the president is right the pictures will not bring a reaction to him at all.

He is safe and comfortable in the white house.

Now the families of our troops in the area, are the ones to fear the violent reaction on top of the already resentment against America, and again more spill of the blood of our soldiers.

Yes Mr. Bush has nothing to fear at all..........lucky him.

I don't think this is going to make Iraq any more violent than it is. The insurgency isn't so much based on Saddam loyalists as it is power groups struggling for position in the new Iraqi order. It's more a proto-civil war then some kind of werwolf operation. Also, I don't think the pictures are on the same level as the supposed Quran flushing in terms of public shock value. Just my opinion, I could be wrong.

-koji K.

Well, there's been so much damage done already, I suppose this one is the least of the evils...At least Saddams underwear seem clean

I guess at least the president can say that they are keeping Sadam's underwear clean.

Yes Iraq is violent any way, but more wood to the fire brings more resistance to the ranks of the Insurgency.

Your introduction states that Bush released the photos, which is absolutely false. The President's remarks are a response to their having been published by Rupert Murdoch in his tabloids. He has not condoned their being published and is supporting investigations by the military to discover how these photos were taken, by whom, and how they got into the hands of Murdoch.

[edit on 05/5/21 by GradyPhilpott]

Yeah Saddam was a normal man, who put his pants on one leg at a time, who also happened to order the gassing of thousands of Kurds, who tortured and had people mutilated, raped, and killed for suspected offenses, who allowed his own people to starve and suffer during sanctions while he lived like a king off of UN blood money.

Sorry, but Dubya is right here. Pictures of Saddam being abused and humilated arent going to spark any serious outrage. Opposing our military action in Iraq as I do, it was not out of any real love for Saddam, just the pointlessness and waste of the war. Seeing Saddam get a lighter version of the treatment he dished out to millions isnt really gonna spark alot of protest. This isnt Abu Ghraib, where low level Iraq prisoners, some who were merely conscripted soldiers forced to fight for Saddam were abused, humilated, and made to do sick, vile acts under the orders of some sick, depraved soldiers who should get the death penalty.

Its like if we had caught Hitler, and published pictures of Hitler being humilated, tortured, and abused, do you really think anyone would be seriously outraged, other than his Nazi supporters and fans? I think not.

I dont care if you think Saddam is another human being. I dont. Human beings do not do the kind of things he did. He is merely a beast wearing the flesh of a human, and he has his chance living his pampered lifestyle at the expense of others. Now hes getting what he deserves.

And for the record, if Bush was captured by enemy forces, humilated, tortured, and pictures published of him, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz all sitting naked in a pyramid with broomsticks shoved up their rears, Id make the picture into a screensaver and dance a friggin jig.

Im cruel, yes, but I am fair.

What's wrong with humiliating a tyrant such as Saddam? I think it's funny that a person of Saddams stature(living in lavish palaces a couple of years ago) has to dress himself.

Here are a few more photos of the soon to be infamous Saddam photo scandal.






[edit on 5/21/2005 by Simulacra]

And in related news...

Paper Prints More Photos of Saddam in Jail
A British tabloid published more revealing photographs of Saddam Hussein in U.S. custody on Saturday, a day after it ran a front-page picture of the former Iraqi leader naked except for his underwear.

The international Red Cross, which is responsible for monitoring prisoners of war and detainees, said the photographs violated Saddam's right to privacy. The U.S. military condemned the publication and ordered an investigation of how the pictures were leaked to The Sun.

Saturday's pictures included one of Saddam seen through barbed wire wearing a white robe-like garment, and another of Ali Hassan al-Majid, better known as "Chemical Ali," in a bathrobe and holding a towel.
www.abcnews.go.com...

So only Saddom, Chemical Ali, and Ms. ANthrax are concidererd POWs and are protected by the geneva convention, yet the thousands of 'enemy combatants' in GitMo are not?

And the fact that a report in a magazine about Koran desicration (which has been metioned by former detainee, but not denied by the pentagon) causes riots, yet showing a former Muslim leader in his tighty whites does not?

hypocracy?

Saddam a MUSLIM?? Where have you been? He ruled a secular regime with an iron fist. He was hated by all his fundementalist neighbors. Even Osama called for his death.

-koji K.

Come on folks, get a grip. This is psyops, it is all psyops. We are witnessing psyops on a level comparable with that of nuclear detonations (in similar scope of magnitude).

Sure, a few low grades will get busted, and a few heads may roll, but we will eventually outdo the opposition, so this is not the last one we will see by far.

Being of 100% English decent, I have to give a big Tip Of The Hat to my "People"...

These pictures SHOULD be published all over the world for reasons (as some astute members pointed out earlier in this very thread) of bring the "Tyrant" down several notches as it were...

The people who have been/are being oppressed by tyrants such as saddam (small "s" on purpose) need to see that he is NOTHING but a fraud who had all the guns.

PIGS who currently/hope to oppress others need to see the consequences of said action.

m...

[edit on 5-22-2005 by Springer]

Originally posted by Simulacra

What a great picture!

We can only hope that the Arab/Muslim world share the same reaction to this.

Saddam Exposed!

Originally posted by UM_Gazz
Saddam Exposed!

Heh.

Seriously though, it's a terrible breach of privacy to print these photos. I hope the reaction is humor (of course) and anger (of course). We've already seen both, and let's hope it doesn't escalate.

can you believe his lawyers are going to sue "the sun" newspaper.... jeeze even from prision he is still a problem!

DUBAI - Lawyers representing Saddam Hussein plan to sue the British tabloid that published intimate photos of the deposed Iraqi leader, Al-Jazeera television reported Friday, quoting the head of the defence team.

www.middle-east-online.com...

is that jesus on the wall watchin' tv?


I always figured Saddam to be a Boxer man, or just goin' commando.

well now there even