Hussein Is Dead

Saddam Hussein was executed at dawn this morning and is now dead. I say "good riddance."

Hussein was a brutal dictator. One could even argue that in a certain light, he was worse than Adolf Hitler. While Hitler ordered executions and tortures, he had others do his dirty work. This was unlike Hussein, who on occasion would take part in these activities.

I'm not so sure I agreed with the method of execution. Lethal injection would have worked just fine and would be more humane. Now you ask, why be humane with a monster like Hussein? Because that's what sets us apart from brutal dictators like Saddam Hussein.

As for the Iraq War, I have mixed thoughts, however, they lean against the war. I am ok with the reason for going to war with Iraq. If truly there were WMDs there, Hussein eventually would have either used them or sold them or the technology to however he saw fit. Theoretically, it is better to get Hussein out of power before something like that would happen.

But President Bush I feel rushed in too far and too fast. He substituted cowboy diplomacy over conventional diplomacy. Instead, we should have continued focus on bin Laden in Afghanistan. I also feel the UN was too lenient during the 1990's with its inspections. Had they done a better job, I think we'd be more informed about WMD in Iraq.

The biggest gripe I have over this war is the way it has been managed. At the start of the war, I think Gen. Tommy Franks did a superb job at running the major military operations. He did what a general should do; fight a war and not to set policy. But after President Bush declared "Mission Accomplished," it started to fall apart. It's a sad state of affairs when our men and women in uniform have to scrounge around for metal because the Pentagon can't send them proper protective armor plating. It appears that there is *no* real plan of action for this war. There's no exit strategy in sight. The result is strained relations with the world, added budget deficits and worse yet, roughly 3,000 Americans killed. A staggering price for a quagmire.

I agree with the goals and objectives of this war and really hope we are successful. I fully support our troops and am quite proud of them for the difficult work they have to do, despite a few bad apples. I also think there are some positive aspects of what we've done over there regardless of negative reports we hear about.

Common Sense of it All: The execution of Saddam Hussein will hopefully close a chapter on this war and with luck we'll see a change for the better.