Safire: From the 'Spider Hole'

The New York Times ^ | 12/15/03 | William Safire

[Pokey78]

WASHINGTON — On Saturday night, I stuffed myself on lamb chops and potato pancakes at a holiday party at the home of Don and Joyce Rumsfeld. Along with other media bigfeet, I chatted up Rummy and C.I.A. chief George Tenet, both of whom were in on the secret of the capture of Saddam a few hours before. Neither man even hinted at a thing. So much for being a Washington Insider.

After the news broke Sunday morning, I asked a source in Iraq to speak to members of the Governing Council who had spent a half-hour with the prisoner after he was pulled out of his "spider hole."

They described Saddam as "reacting aggressively" to the presence of the Iraqi leaders who were Shiites. He said to this month's council chairman, Adnan Pachachi, a Sunni, "What are you doing with these guys?"

One of the Shia leaders came back with "Why did you kill Ayatollah Sadr?" Saddam sneered: "Sadir" or "rijl"?

This was a contemptuous play on words. "Sadir," which sounds like a name of the assassinated Muhammad Sadiq al-Sadr, is Arabic for "chest" and "rijl" means "foot." Saddam, murderer of hundreds of thousands of Shia who dared oppose his rule, didn't leave his thigh-slapping sense of humor in the "spider hole."

Another useful bit of information is the origin of "spider hole," a phrase used by Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez to describe the dugout hiding place in which the fugitive Saddam was cowering.

This is Army lingo from the Vietnam era. The Vietcong guerrillas dug "Cu Chi tunnels" often connected to what the G.I.'s called "spider holes" — space dug deep enough for the placement of a clay pot large enough to hold a crouching man, covered by a wooden plank and concealed with leaves. When an American patrol passed, the Vietcong would spring out, shooting. But the hole had its dangers; if the pot broke or cracked, the guerrilla could be attacked by poisonous spiders or snakes. Hence, "spider hole."

Those are facts; now to speculation. Democrats here are already saying ruefully "because we `got' Saddam, we'll `get' four more years of Bush." But that assumes that the Iraqi captive will now reveal weapons of mass destruction and his connections to Al Qaeda, thereby confirming the intelligence that the Bush neocons are charged with having cooked up to justify going to war.

I think Saddam is still Saddam — a meretricious, malevolent megalomaniac. He knows he is going to die, either by death sentence or in jail at the hands of a rape victim's family. Why did he not use his pistol to shoot it out with his captors or to kill himself? Because he is looking forward to the mother of all genocide trials, rivaling Nuremberg's and topping those of Eichmann and Milosevic. There, in the global spotlight, he can pose as the great Arab hero saving Islam from the Bushes and the Jews.

Under interrogation, he's not likely to rat on his fedayeen, lead us to his hidden billions abroad or tell the truth about dirty dealings with France and Russia. Instead, he intends to lie all the way to martyrdom.

Example: Dr. Ayad Allawi, an Iraqi leader long considered reliable by intelligence agencies, told Britain's Daily Telegraph last week that a memo has been found from Saddam's secret police chief to the dictator dated July 1, 2001, reporting that the veteran terrorist Abu Nidal had been training one Mohamed Atta in Baghdad. Nobody disputes that a few months after Atta's 9/11 suicide mission, Nidal was permanently silenced by Saddam's police, the only "suicide" to be found with four bullets in his head.

The prisoner will surely dispute all connections to Al Qaeda, along with charges that he ordered the deaths of what Tony Blair now estimates as 400,000 Shiite and Kurdish Muslims in Iraq.

We are not finished with this remorseless monster; Saddam will have his day in an Iraqi court. But so will the ghosts of poison-gassed Halabja and Iraqi children forced to clear minefields in Iran. The meticulous presentation of his offenses against humanity will demonstrate again that all that would have been necessary for the triumph of evil was for good people to do nothing.  

[ItisaReligionofPeace]

I think Saddam is still Saddam — a meretricious, malevolent megalomaniac. He knows he is going to die, either by death sentence or in jail at the hands of a rape victim's family. Why did he not use his pistol to shoot it out with his captors or to kill himself? Because he is looking forward to the mother of all genocide trials, rivaling Nuremberg's and topping those of Eichmann and Milosevic.

Wrong. He didn't kill himself because he is a coward.

[07055]

The meticulous presentation of his offenses against humanity will demonstrate again that all that would have been necessary for the triumph of evil was for good people to do nothing.

There is nothing "good" about the people who demanded we do nothing in this case. They have the blood of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis on their hands.

[TruthShallSetYouFree]

The meticulous presentation of his offenses against humanity will demonstrate again that all that would have been necessary for the triumph of evil was for good people to do nothing.

Good people don't "do nothing." Democrats do nothing. They advocate doing nothing, and they castigate good people for doing something.

[dead]

Because he is looking forward to the mother of all genocide trials, rivaling Nuremberg's and topping those of Eichmann and Milosevic. There, in the global spotlight, he can pose as the great Arab hero saving Islam from the Bushes and the Jews.

I love good television, and this is going to be the best!

After each episode, we’ll let the Democratic Presidential candidate rebut the prosecution’s case.

Seriously, if that don’t kick the crap out of Survivor 19 and Friends reruns, I don’t know what does.

Give me a six-pack, some hot dogs, a comfy couch and the Saddam trial, and I’ll think I’m in heaven (although you could throw in 72 virgins, if they're not busy.)

[Lauratealeaf]

Safire on Saddam, spider holes, lamb chops and potato pancakes. He connects these various strands and ends by reminding us that the removal of Saddam Hussein would not have happened if good men had done nothing. Most good men are good men because of good actions.

[mylife]

Why did he not use his pistol to shoot it out with his captors or to kill himself? Because he is looking forward to the mother of all genocide trials, rivaling Nuremberg's and topping those of Eichmann and Milosevic. There, in the global spotlight, he can pose as the great Arab hero saving Islam from the Bushes and the Jews.

The answer to the million dollar question.

[witnesstothefall]

On Saturday night, I stuffed myself on lamb chops and potato pancakes at a holiday party at the home of Don and Joyce Rumsfeld.

This is Safire's real point. "I am the ultimate insider," he never fails to communicate. Safire has never been accused of being humble in the least.

More importantly, it is unethical for reporters and government officials to be so cozy, and dangerous.

[Senator Goldwater]

"There is nothing "good" about the people who demanded we do nothing in this case"

Which is why Hussein's capture and continued ability to generate attention to his atrocities will become a permanent and ongoing albatross to Bush's opponents in the War on Terrorism.

[ontos-on]

No, your virgins will never have been busy before in their lives, until your time with them has arrived.....

[GeronL]

Uber Court-TV!!

[wattsup]

All of this didn't have to happen if the previous administration had the B^lls to "Correctly Motivate" saddam

[IncPen]

I'm rather disposed to set Saddam loose in a field, surrounded by his countrymen. Let them do what they will, as long as they don't kill him.

Wake him from dead sleep on random nights by dousing him in ice water.

Pipe in the voices of the families of his victims, at ear splitting volumes, and as desperate whispers.

Above all, keep him alive, and broadcast video (only) of him to his countrymen 24/7

Lather, rinse repeat, for the rest of his days.

[wizardoz]

Democrats here are already saying ruefully "because we `got' Saddam, we'll `get' four more years of Bush."

Heh heh heh...

[A Citizen Reporter]

"On Saturday night, I stuffed myself on lamb chops and potato pancakes at a holiday party at the home of Don and Joyce Rumsfeld. Along with other media bigfeet, I chatted up Rummy and C.I.A. chief George Tenet, both of whom were in on the secret of the capture of Saddam a few hours before. Neither man even hinted at a thing. So much for being a Washington Insider. "

Gee, that's funny Mr. Pompous of the NY Times, Brit Hume reported about being at the same party, and noted that Rummy and company were unusually jubilant. When asked about it, Rummy responded that he had had a series of good meetings that day. Brit did not note what he had stuffed himself with.

[expatpat]

Nidal was permanently silenced by Saddam's police, the only "suicide" to be found with four bullets in his head.

I thought that was quite common at one time in Arkansas.

[Joe_October]

...Because he is looking forward to the mother of all genocide trials, rivaling Nuremberg's and topping those of Eichmann and Milosevic. There, in the global spotlight, he can pose as the great Arab hero saving Islam from the Bushes and the Jews.....

That was plan B. Plan A was to stay crouched in a mud hole until dementia took him. If your plan was to have the great trial, why wouldn't you put on your best duds, ride your best ride into Baghdad and turn yourself in for your great dramatic moment.

Wishful thinking. Saddam is a chick.

[South40]

[expatpat]

That's how Washington works. It seems to me that it would be desirable to move the US government to another part of the country -- but then it would become the same, once again.

[piasa]

No, it's not unethical- it's very honest. Unethical is when you are cozy but never admit it to the public.