U.S. Army Captures Iraq’s Former Dictator

What Saturday’s capture of Saddam Hussein in Iraq has demonstrated is how President Bush’s decision to invade Iraq was the correct one. Ask yourself one question: Is the world better off today without Hussein in power? It’s obvious that his capture by the U.S. Army is a huge benefit to the Iraqi people, as they demonstrated with their wild street celebrations throughout Iraq. Even if this was a war for oil, they surely could not care less. Evil was trounced, and a new light shines now on Iraq’s future.

Bush’s “preemptive war” was controversial in all corners of the world, but in these early days he appears to have been vindicated. Hussein is forever gone, Iraqi elections are months away and 25 million people have their first chance at living in freedom. America can be proud to have such bold and decisive leadership.

John Steinbeck

La Jolla

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The capture of Hussein gives new meaning to that old poker term “an ace in the hole.”

Lyle Talbot

Lancaster

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Hussein had nothing to do with 9/11. He was a gnarly dictator whom the world now no longer has to worry about. Hussein didn’t destroy the World Trade Center and kill 2,800 Americans, unless you believe the White House spin. Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda did, and they are very much alive, out there, dangerous and still hating America.

As for the capture and end of the Saddam story: Hooray for U.S. troops.

Ron Lowe

Nevada City, Calif.

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After billions upon billions of dollars wasted and hundreds of American soldiers’ lives destroyed in an unjustified war in Iraq, we finally captured Hussein. So what!

Did Hussein pose an imminent threat to America? I don’t think so. Did Hussein attack America on 9/11? I don’t think so. Will terrorism subside with the capture of Hussein? I don’t think so.

So what exactly did we accomplish with the capture of Hussein? The answer is, we accomplished nothing but the illusion of victory over terrorism. How sad that we rejoice in an illusion. I wonder if the families of our fallen soldiers are rejoicing in the reality of their dead sons and daughters.

Ron Kryngel

Fresno

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Ironically, the capture of Hussein will likely work against the long-term occupation. Disillusionment will become greater once the American people realize what little difference Hussein’s presence meant to the resistance.

The capture is a propaganda triumph, not a strategic one.

Doug Doepke

Claremont

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The capture of Hussein alive is a milestone for the Iraqi people and for any dictator who does not read human history and heed its lessons. This dark page of history is about to be followed by hope and freedom. This is the end of the tunnel for Saddam. Hooray to our troops.

Khaled Soliman

Glendale

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Sorry, Dubya. Much too little, much too late, and the price was many orders of magnitude higher than originally quoted.

Elaine Hampton

Burbank

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The $25-million reward for the capture of Hussein should be paid to the families of the soldiers who have given their lives in Iraq so that this satanical tyrant could be found.

Dan Feger

Northridge

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The fear of Hussein returning to power is over. The bad news is that the forces who wanted him out of commission may be more lethal and much more hostile to the United States than Hussein himself.

Hussein was anti-fundamentalist and anti-Shiite. The Islamic extremists want to establish an Islamic regime. The Shiites, who are estimated at 15 million, are potentially more hostile to the U.S. than the Sunnis. They want the clerics in power, similar to Iran. Even if the Sunni triangle is neutralized, the euphoria over Hussein’s capture may not last long, considering the alternative forces vying for power.

John Youssef

Woodland Hills

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The capture of Hussein does nothing to change the facts that he was no threat to America, that he had no weapons of mass destruction, that his brutal regime was for years supported and armed by the U.S. and that the Bush junta out-and-out lied to the American people about the reasons for going to war.

It does nothing to change the facts that Bush himself went to war in violation of international law, and that Bush himself, as a result of this, is as much of a war criminal as Hussein, Yugoslavia’s Slobodan Milosevic, Israel’s Ariel Sharon and other such thugs who trample on international law as they attempt to goose-step their way toward geopolitical domination.

If Hussein is put on trial, then the trials of Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney, Secretary of State Colin Powell, national security advisor Condoleezza Rice, Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.), Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-Conn.) and other supporters of this illegal war of aggression should follow in short order.

Ronald O. Richards

Los Angeles

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I sure hope that Saddam doesn’t get the O.J. jury.

Tom Ardizzone

Granada Hills

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I salute Bush for the courageous decision to seize Hussein alive. Now the world may have a chance to hear the details of how the administrations of presidents Reagan and George H.W. Bush, and of Britain’s Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, colluded with and armed Hussein between 1981 and 1990.

Martin Lewis

Los Angeles

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At long last, the U.S. managed to uncover Iraq’s major weapon of mass destruction. And how appropriate that it should be hidden in a rat hole.

Burt Prelutsky

North Hills

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Now that we’ve captured Hussein, he can tell us where all those weapons of mass destruction are. That’s what this war was all about, right?

Alan D. Buckley

Newbury Park