[WOSG]

Good article ... just like Stalin could not be stalin without the marxist-leninist ideology that supported his evil ways, so too Saddam requires an ideology to support modern dictatorship and his totalitarian rule. It sounds like it is neither fascism nor communism precisely, but a third and very Arab brand of similar thought to nazi/communist ideology.

[copycat]

Excerpt: In dealing with Saddam, then, we are not dealing with a normal thug or bully, but with a missionary whose lofty ideology has not changed in four decades, even as it has acquired, over the past few years, some Islamist drapery. The ideology of Baathism calls for relentless struggle, ever-widening conflict, until some ideal culmination of history is achieved. The Baathist ideology makes all agreements arbitrary, just as it makes all legal standards arbitrary and all truth arbitrary. That which serves the needs of the revolution is true for that moment. The revolution and Saddam ruthlessly abandon any truth or principle or agreement that no longer meshes with the need to achieve the glorious state of spiritual perfection. Breaking agreements is not something Saddam does shamefacedly. It is something he does proudly. It is consistent with the holy doctrine of his party.


Edit. Sounds like a certain Junior Senator I know...