Posted on 12/15/2003 7:19:27 PM PST by Senator Pardek
CAIRO, December 15 (IslamOnline.net) – Former U.S. Attorney General Ramsy Clarke expressed readiness Sunday, December 14, to act as defense lawyer for ousted Iraqi president Saddam Hussein, with western analysts suspecting the captured leader would be given fair trial.
"Certainly, why not. I am ready to act in his defense," Clarke told IslamOnline.net shortly after the U.S. confirmed the detention of Saddam near Tikrit.
Clarke, currently in Cairo to attend a two-day international anti-occupation conference, stressed that Saddam – however brutal – should be give a "fair, objective and impartial trial".
"Saddam must be domestically prosecuted first and - if this fails - he should be referred to an international court," said the former American official, known for his staunch opposition to the U.S.-led invasion and occupation of Iraq.
He doubted, however, that the ousted Iraqi president would be given such a fair trial.
Clarke averred that neither the U.S.-installed Interim Governing Council (IGC) nor the occupation forces is eligible to try the overthrown president.
"The IGC does not represent Iraq. It is Bush's council," said the former U.S. attorney general.
He noted that the Iraqi body was quick to say that DNA test proved the captured man was Saddam.
"Do you think that they can take the test themselves. They are puppets," Clarke maintained.
For the occupation forces to take over the trial, he dismissed this as a would-be ridiculous proposal.
"Occupation of Iraq is in itself an international crime" and runs counter to common decency and moral integrity.
Asked if Saddam could be taken to the International Criminal Court, the former U.S. attorney general whimsically ruled out the suggestion, noting Washington does not even recognize the court.
"Remember Carter's human rights program, where he demanded the Shah of Iran step down and turn over power to the Ayatollah Khomeini? "No matter that Khomeini was a madman. Carter had the U.S. Pentagon tell the Shah's top military commanders – about 150 of them – to acquiesce to the Ayatollah and not fight him. "The Shah's military listened to Carter. All of them were murdered in one of the Ayatollah's first acts. "By allowing the Shah to fall, Carter created one of the most militant anti-American dictatorships ever." - [See: "Jimmy Carter's Trail of Disaster," Newsmax]
But what has Carter said about Arab or Muslim countries that have had long records of human rights abuse – Syria or Libya or Iran or Iraq? Not much. One reason may be money. As NewsMax's Dave Eberhart reported recently, Carter and his Carter Center foundation are recipients of millions of dollars of Arab money. - (See: "Carter's Arab Funding May Color Israel Stance," Newsmax)
SEPTEMBER 1978 : (THE LIBYA CONTROVERSY : PRESIDENT CARTER'S BROTHER, BILLY CARTER, VISITS LIBYA TO MAKE DEALS; LATER BILLY HOSTS LIBYAN OFFICIALS SEEKING TO ESTABLISH A TRADE MISSION IN THE US; BILLY MAKES STUPID, BUT REVEALING COMMENTS) In September 1978 Billy made a highly publicized trip to Libya with a group of Georgia legislators and businessmen eager to make deals. Several months later, he hosted a delegation of Libyans in Atlanta, as they looked for a place to locate a permanent trade mission. When asked why he was involved, Billy said, "The only thing I can say is there is a hell of a lot more Arabians than there is Jews." He also argued that the "Jewish media [tore] up the Arab countries full-time," and defended Libya against charges of state-sponsored terrorism by saying that a "heap of governments support terrorists and [Libya] at least admitted it."
President Carter tried to disassociate himself from the controversy that ensued, telling NBC News that he hoped people would "realize that I don't have any control over what my brother says [and] he has no control over me." Billy also apologized and explained he wasn't anti-Semitic, but the damage was done. The Atlanta Constitution remarked, "If [Billy's] not working for the Republican Party, he should be." Some time after this, Billy spent seven weeks at an alcohol addiction treatment facility in California. - "People & Events : Billy Carter (1937 - 1988) ", American Experience, PBS, http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/carter/peopleevents/p_bcarter.html
JULY 1980 : (BILLYGATE : PRESIDENT CARTER'S BROTHER, BILLY CARTER, REGISTERS AS A FOREIGN AGENT OF THE LIBYAN GOVERNMENT, AND ACCEPTS CASH FROM THE LIBYANS FOR 'OIL SALES' HE WAS SUPPOSED TO FACILITATE) Once sober, Billy was no longer in demand on the talk-show circuit, so he turned again to his Libyan friends for financial help. In July 1980 he belatedly registered as a foreign agent of the Libyan government and admitted to receiving a $220,000 "loan" for oil sales he was supposed to facilitate. The press rushed to find out whether the president's brother had hawked his influence with the White House, and a new presidential scandal, "Billygate," was born. As Jimmy himself later admitted, "He was the president's brother, and therefore fair game." - "People & Events : Billy Carter (1937 - 1988) ", American Experience, PBS, http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/carter/peopleevents/p_bcarter.html [* My note: As history would unfold, by 2002 it was pretty clear that Jimmy's accomodating philosophy on terrorism is not unlike his brother's ]
JULY 22, 1980 : (BILLYGATE : PRESIDENT CARTER DISTANCES HIMSELF- AN ELECTION IS COMING UP) On July 22, the White House issued a statement disclosing what it knew and denying that it had interfered in the Justice Department's investigation of the matter. The president also released a personal statement saying that he did not think it "appropriate for a close relative of the president to undertake any assignment on behalf of a foreign government." While all this was basically true, a number of inaccuracies and omissions would surface in the coming days which kept the scandal alive and fueled the perception that something dirty had happened.
"In truth, the White House had concealed nothing," concludes historian Burton Kaufman. "But as [it] had to keep amending its July 22 account, there was doubt cast on Carter's forthrightness with the American people." While relatively few people doubted Carter's basic integrity, the whole thing did cast further doubts on his judgment, and what Kaufman calls his "presidential timber" in the midst of the president's uphill battle for re-election. "The damn Billy Carter stuff is killing us," complained Hamilton Jordan. It was the last thing the Carter campaign needed going into the Democratic convention in August. - "People & Events : Billy Carter (1937 - 1988) ", American Experience, PBS, http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/carter/peopleevents/p_bcarter.html
MAY 24, 1990 : (CARTER DRAFTS SPEECH FOR PALESTINIAN TERRORIST ARAFAT) * After Carter had that first meeting with Arafat, he went home and promptly served the PLO head as PR adviser and speechwriter. What do I mean? Listen to Brinkley: “On May 24 Carter drafted on his home computer the strategy and wording for a generic speech Arafat was to deliver soon for Western ears . . .” Said Carter, “The audience is not the Security Council, but the world community. The objective of the speech should be to secure maximum sympathy and support of other world leaders . . . The Likud leaders are now on the defensive, and must not be given any excuse for continuing their present abusive policies.”
Judging by the rhetoric from Carter, the problem wasn't just Billy. A decent fellow? Hardly.
http://shadow.autono.net/sin001/clark.htm
Outstanding! Thanks.
http://shadow.autono.net/sin001/clark.htm
Outstanding! Thanks.
We can only hope that some of the arguably misguided patriots that do step forward down the road don't turn out to be FReepers.......
The is a difference between someone declaring that even the most despicible are entitled to a defence ie Dershowitz's remark re Hitler, as opposed to a longtime supporter of the Iraqi Ba'athist position doing so.
If we believe that a man accused of crimes is entitled to a vigorous defense then we should have no objection to anyone providing that defense.
If we belive that Hussein is entitled to a vigorous and effective defence, there are many objections to allowing the bewildered Clark to do it.
The US would be blamed anyway if a US lawyer lost the case, no point it making it easy to claim it was a incompeteant and sham defence.
In the case of Saddam, fairness means a public beheading by the Iraqi people.
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