END OF A DYNASTY

New York Post ^ | 7/23/03 | RALPH PETERS

[kattracks]

July 23, 2003 -- THE deaths of Saddam's sons is a more important step in the liberation of Iraq than the fall of Baghdad. Their deaths destroyed the dynasty at the heart of Saddam's dreams and Iraqi fears.

For the long-suffering people of Iraq, the deaths of Uday and Qusay matter more, on a practical level, than even Saddam's confirmed death one day will. With his sons alive, Saddam remained a threat to the future. With both of them dead - as well as his eldest grandson, perhaps - he's only a broken tyrant on the run.

[Nateman]

Too bad you can only kill them once.

[EternalVigilance]

He killed America's sons. And we killed his.

Very well said.

[alloysteel]

Definition of 'dynasty' - to suffer a very, very horrible death.

Have a HUGE public funeral for these two, in downtown Baghdad. Invite heads of state from the neighboring Middle Eastern countries to come, and view the (bullet-ridden) bodies. Remind the Muslim nations, especially, that Americans can have a decidedly cold and deadly streak, and some things are better never to be disturbed.

[jocon307]

"..[T]he deaths of Uday and Qusay matter more, on a practical level, than even Saddam's...death..."

Yes, this is what I was thinking. Saddam is the past, these guys were the potential future. It seems clear to me there can be no resurrection of the Ba'ath party in Iraq with these two kaput.

The more I ponder this, the happier it makes me.

[xJones]

In the Middle East, family trumps all other worldly connections and obligations. And sons are the most important part of an Arab family. Saddam's visions of himself as a successor to the great rulers of the golden age of the Arabs are void without sons to carry on the line. He hoped to create a hereditary throne....Saddam cherished his sons so blindly that he tolerated their monstrous excesses. Uday was wildly vicious, Qusay coldly murderous. Together, they seemed to guarantee the enduring power of the House of Hussein - perhaps even beyond the American occupation.

That's the truth, Kat. Saddam had trained his sons from their earliest years to murder and torture. He'd made ruthless monsters out of them and they were his dream of carrying on the Hussein dynasty.

Alloysteel:

Remind the Muslim nations, especially, that Americans can have a decidedly cold and deadly streak, and some things are better never to be disturbed.

I've thought since 9/ll that the Arab Muslims were lost in their rhetoric and fantasies, because they didn't have the first clue what that meant to Americans. They had no idea that 9/l1 wouldn't be met with just bluster and howls, and certainly not that it would bring the American eagles roaring out of the U.S. They never really knew us, and even wilder, they couldn't tell Bush's character from Clinton's. Reality must be ice cold for them.

[Ed_in_NJ]

Good to see that someone wrote from this angle.

Rats have shown massive ignorance by trying to downplay the significance of it.

Also increases the chances that someone will rat-out the old man, since the sons aren't around for revenge.

[tell me]

I'm glad they got the grandson too.

[randita]

I sure wish a similar tip off would lead us to OBL. Only took a few months to get these thugs, but it's been almost 2 years and no OBL. The longer there is no news from OBL, the more convinced I become that his remains lie somewhere in the vicinity of Tora Bora.

[astounded]

Osama bin Laden is dead - no question about it. Revealing his demise at the proper moment will be the crowning touch to GWBs re-election against Hillary Clinton. Next stop: Syria.

[FierceDraka]

I can't help it - I'm a bit skeptical as to whether they are really dead. I mean, we heard Saddam was killed in a bombing raid - twice. And both times the reports were premature.

[DoctorMichael]

Bump.

[JohnHuang2]

Superb piece by New York Post columnist Ralph Peters. A must read.

[Aeronaut]

G'morning John, thanks for the ping.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

The end of a nightmare.

[exit82]

Excellent article by Mr. Peters. Thanks, JH2, for pinging me, and thanks, kattracks, for the find.

I had similar thought yesterday--that the death of the sons and grandson effectively ended the line of succession. The Biblical term "cut off" comes to mind. Saddam now knows he can not be succeeded and has become a eunuch of history.

Hopefully, his death is imminent. No prisoners,please.

[MeekOneGOP]

Saddam feels, at last, the pain he inflicted upon countless Iraqi families. He murdered their sons or threw their lives away in wars of aggression. Now he knows the shock of a father's loss. Saddam has been called "inhuman" with good reason. Now he feels as human as any man.

Mornin', John ! Thanks for the pingaroo.

Well, I don't know how human Saddam might be, but we know one thing for sure . . .

$30 Million worth of trash

[William McKinley]

I rarely feel good about anyone's death.

I did this time.

[Movemout]

This guy has it right. Saddam has nothing to live for.

[maica]

So did I. And I would suspect so will every Iraqi who lost someone to their torture.