So much of this illustrates the sorrow of not having UN sanction for this invasion. I think its a good thing that Hussein's position is defined "prisoners of war" fit into a legal framework.

"Deposed leader where we didn't like your government and we'er taking your country and administerring its wealth" is such a vague title. Under the circumstance I think that Hussein is very lucky to have any protection at all.

For the record I do believe he was an evil tyrrant, but I believe that the USA bears a huge burden of making sure they actually improve the lot of the country they attacked. I further believe that a President making war without declaring war is a bad thing for the USA and the World. In the very least it creates a unilateral moral burden with a huge price tag for the country in dollars and reputation.

The pictures, even the embarrassment, were tacticaly necessary. Aside from them enhancing Bush's image, Hussein built a myth around himself and his leadership, lying, censoring and manipulating the Iraqi people with their own wealth. The leader of secret police, terror squads, and opression must be held powerless before the people he terrorized -- that is necessary to their confidence and recovery.

Hussein is lucky he was not linched like Mussolini. He owes his life (if its still that valuable) to the weird political nature of the war.

My expectation however is that he will never be handed over to a world court that might ask him questions that would embarrass the US. He will be used to generate timely news for the United states. (The day of his capture was announced the US passed new sweeping investigative rights for the FBI when they knew the media would look elsewhere.) He will be made to look like a coward for not killing himself or dying in combat. Eventually he will be given as a prize to the new US supported government of Iraq to execute with a minimum of embarrassing questions. This will show that the new regime has power over the old, keep the American hands clean in the history books, and demonstrate Iraqi solidarity with their new American investors.

I'd love to be proved wrong.

Sigurd