Once, the U.S. Was Cozy With the Reviled Hussein

Saturday, Dec. 20, will mark a week in custody for Saddam Hussein at the hands of our military and its boss, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. Though that in itself is not significant, the date Dec. 20 is. Exactly 20 years ago this Saturday, Rumsfeld was a guest in Baghdad, his host none other than Hussein.

As special envoy for President Reagan, Rumsfeld went to assure his host that he could count on America to be in his corner. This was done in spite of our knowledge of Hussein’s use of chemical weapons against the Iranian military as well as civilians in both Iran and Iraq. With Rummy’s help, Hussein received all the military equipment he needed, including chemicals that could be used in weapons. The Reagan administration removed Iraq from the list of state sponsors of terrorism, thus opening the doors to U.S. aid, as well as the ability to acquire sophisticated technology and equipment from us. In addition to this, we provided Hussein’s government with lists that contained names of suspected communists. Many on these lists were hunted down and killed, jailed or tortured.

I hope President Bush, Rumsfeld and the rest of the American public will take time away from their gloating over Hussein’s capture and reflect upon this special anniversary.

Sean H. Mill

Santa Ana

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While Bush is enjoying a little blip in popularity over the capture of a bedraggled and disoriented Hussein, in the bigger picture this event will hurt the Bush regime. No longer can the Bushies blame Hussein for the resistance movement to the U.S. imperialist intentions of the neocons. It is highly doubtful that any significant weapons of mass destruction will be discovered. The glaring lies and evil of the war will become even more stark than before. Finally, the historic compliance of Rumsfeld and former President George Bush with Hussein in developing and tolerating the use of chemical weapons will show how empty George W. Bush’s words really are.

Charles Wilken

Northridge

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The arrest of Hussein is the foremost feel-good nonevent of the 21st century to date. It proffered the “liberal media” and the Fox clones endless hours of heartwarming copy, but logistically it meant little. We are no safer, and Iraq remains as destabilized as it became upon the invasion led by our government and its “powerhouse” cronies such as the Marshall Islands, Mauritania and Iceland. The seemingly boundless appetite for this empty incident gives absurdity a bad name.

Jerome S. Kleinsasser

Bakersfield

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It’s “nice” that Bush and the Iraqi survivors of Hussein and the U.S. foreign legions both have something to celebrate. But there are other hopeless, sick, hungry, unemployed people on the planet, many in the U.S., who need care. If U.S. tax money, hundreds of billions, had gone to the needy at home, millions of Americans could have experienced the safety and security of food, shelter and heath care, and we all could have had something real to celebrate. Peace, brother.

Dean Kerr

Orange