April 4, 2003
Descent into Absurdity
It seems to just get crazier. A The New York Times report says that Arab networks showed a man "purporting to be Saddam Hussein rallying his people." But -- incredibly -- it says that "The White House said it did not matter very much whether the footage was genuine or not because the Iraqi leader would soon be history, one way or another."Is it just me or does this seem to be strikingly juvenile and ridiculous behavior in people who are supposed to be adults -- and even people of some authority? Getting beyond the tragic facts underlying all this -- the mass murder and destruction of Iraq, and the fact that this idea of the government trying to murder this man George Bush hates is being projected to the world and to our own children -- these guys seem to be seriously rattled at the suggestion that Saddam Hussein has survived their attacks so far. They seem to be extremely threatened by the possibility that Americans may believe that Saddam is alive. They have set up this declaration that they have got him -- like badass gunslingers -- and the fact that he keeps appearing, seemingly alive, just kills them. They can't stand it.
Whether he is alive or if the footage is old or it is a double becomes a big issue. And yet it is really a bunch of trite, juvenile crap in relation to the human tragedy that these same morons are causing in Iraq. This article from Australia (The Age) is titled "US snubs Saddam appearance". How do you "snub" an appearance? It's turning more like Alice in Wonderland every day.
It reminds me of Philip Roth's satire on the Nixon administration Our Gang in which Nixon had been assassinated, but the White House didn't want to comment on whether or not it was true. "We don't think it will have any effect on the election anyway," they said. Being alive was never a big part of his appeal anyway.