[Riley]

I think you're right. The Iraqi people will not be able to close the book on the terror of the Saddam era until he is dead. If he gets anything less than death, the Iraqi people and their domestic enemies may see it as a sign of weakness in the new government. Neither is good.

If the people have confidence in the new government, then stability and freedom have a shot.

[Tall_Texan]

100% correct. Saddam must not be allowed to live if Iraq is to move ahead. If they think there's even a 1% chance he could ever return to power, they are not going to embrace democracy as they would if they knew he was gone.

I do wonder, though, how the anti-death-penalty folks are going to muddy up the works or if they will grant a hypocritical "exemption" for crimes against humanity.