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Iraq
Saddam captured
2003-12-14
The fat lady sings!In Tikrit apparently.

The news is a little tenuous at the moment tho...
News conference set for 12GMT

More, same article updated...
Tony Blair has confirmed that former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein has been captured alive in his home town of Tikrit. Mr Blair, who has returned to Downing Street from Chequers, said in a statement that Saddam was seized last night at around 3am this morning.
Today's hump day in the War on Terror...
The British Prime Minister said the arrest "removes the shadow" of his return from Iraq and "gives an opportunity for Saddam to be tried in Iraqi courts". Reports say Saddam was "dug out of a cellar" from a house in a poverty-stricken area during a raid by US forces, backed by Kurdish troops. It is claimed that DNA tests have been carried out and his identity confirmed. Saddam was apparently found with a suitcase containing half a million dollars worth of cash.
No word on how the neighborhood came to be poverty-stricken...
Ahmad Chalabi, leader of the Iraqi National Congress, has said Saddam will probably be put on trial. A spokesman for the INC said: "We are 100% sure Saddam has been detained by American forces." A top Iraqi official said US administrator Paul Bremer called Iraqi leaders by telephone to tell them the news. The US Defence Department is still refusing to confirm the reports but a press conference has been announced for 12pm GMT. In Baghdad, a spokeswoman for the US-led operation notified reporters that a "very important" announcement will be made at the press conference. It is not known who the speaker will be. The news is spreading around Iraq rapidly and hundreds of exultant people have taken to the streets of Kirkuk and Baghdad firing weapons into the air in celebration.

From CNN...
The person in U.S. custody was disguised in a false nose and moustache fake beard when he was captured in the basement in a Tikrit building, Ahmad Chalabi of the Iraqi National Congress said. Hours after the word leaked out on the possible capture, there were volleys of what was perceived to be celebratory gunfire in Baghdad.

Beebs headline...
Saddam Hussein 'arrested in Iraq'
Gawd, I love those scare quotes!

Al-Jizz sez...
Saddam Hussein captured - Tony Blair
Unconfirmed reports say that ousted Iraqi President Saddam Hussein has been captured in his hometown of Tikrit.
My! These grapes are very sour!
A US defence official was quoted as saying: "We may have him," on Sunday.
Sure starting to look like it, ain't it?
Kurdish leader Jalal Talabani was quoted by the official Iranian news agency on Sunday as saying that the leader had been captured. But these reports could not be confirmed.
"We're waiting for something from the Baath Party..."
Despite the lack of official confirmation, a wide range of sources are being quoted by various news agencies that they believe Saddam could be in custody. A British diplomatic source also said a suspect who could be Hussein is in custody. The US Defence Department said they could not confirm the report. Intifad Qanbar, the spokesperson for the US-backed Iraqi Governing Council, claimed DNA tests had shown that the captive was Hussein. He claimed the ousted leader had been disguised in a beard when he was captured.
... and a blond wig. And a bustier...
Associated Press also qouted unnamed Iraqi officials as citing US occupying administrator Paul Bremer as saying the ousted leader has been captured. But US military officials in Baghdad refused to confirm the reports, saying a press conference at 3:00pm (1200GMT) would be held. Earlier, Nazim Dabbagh, a representative of Talabani's Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, confirmed Talabani's statement. In Hussein's hometown of Tikrit and elsewhere in the country, people poured into the streets at the news.
Gosh, Jizzy! Doing what?

Fox News sez...
The snag was by U.S. Special Forces... No resistance... Based on local intel tip — somebody suddenly became very wealthy... Reports say he apparently dug himself a hole and pulled it in over himself, and the troops had to dig him out with shovels... Being held in Baghdad...

CPA Briefing
"Ladies and gentlemen, we got 'im!... The tyrant is a prisoner." Calls for opposition to end, lay down arms, join Iraqis in building the new Iraq. Sanchez sez it was 4th ID and Special Forces, the site a farmhouse near Tikrit, at Adwar. Not a shot was fired. Sammy is talkative and cooperative. Operations was called Red Dawn. Approx 600 troops took part. Detected a camouflaged spider hole entrance, with Sammy hiding at the bottom — 6-8 feet deep, with enough space for a person to lie down inside it. 2 AK47s, a pistol, a taxi, and $750,000 in $100 bills. Two other Iraqis detained. They showed pictures of Sammy being examined — weeping by Iraqis at the briefing, and not tears of despair... Best part was seeing Sammy's head examined for lice...
Yep. It's Sammy.

News briefing first English question was "How did he manage to elude capture for so long?"...

A tidbit from Albawaba...
Meanwhile, Ibrahim Janabi, a leader of the Iraqi National Accord (INA), one of the groups opposed to Saddam's regime, told Albawaba by phone, "I can confirm ousted Iraqi President Saddam Hussein was captured in Tikrit." He added that Saddam was arrested while, "wearing a traditional Arab gown (Dishdashah), carrying a rifle, pistol and wearing an explosive belt strapped around his body, but he used none of them as he preferred to give himself up." Furthermore, Janabi said Saddam was arrested along with two of his bodyguards.
The CPA brief didn't say anything about the boom belt, or even about Sammy being armed and dangerous, only that a couple AKs were captured. I'd guess this would be embroidery — though it'd make good propaganda.
Posted by:Lux

#92  Tell me again about the Quagmire.
Posted by: Korora   2003-12-14 8:18:34 PM  

#91  I want to thank Mr. Pruitt and all his posters for Rantburg. News and comedy all in one place.

After two frustrating decades of helplessly watching this monster, I have lived to see him come to his deserved end.

I read about the capture here first, clicked on the television and since then I've just been staggering around all day in delighted shock. I am astonished by the incredible persistence of the U.S. military. They are amazing. They put their lives on the line every day and then they find the prize in the crackerjack (sand?) box, too!

Wow.

God bless America and her honorable, courageous Armed Forces.

God bless the Iraqi people and their endeavor to be free.
Posted by: Quana   2003-12-14 8:01:14 PM  

#90  Napoleon III in Sedan (1870), by the Prussians, for example.
Posted by: True German Ally   2003-12-14 7:40:51 PM  

#89  Btw, anyone know when the last head of state was captured by an opposing force? Napoleon? Or perhaps Nicholas II?

I guess Santa Ana was later than Napoleon--I'm just curious when the last time one was captured in action. I guess Noriega could count, although he's relatively small fry.
Posted by: Dar   2003-12-14 6:27:13 PM  

#88  Congrats to the US military for capturing that bastard Nick Nolte !
Posted by: WhiteHouseDetox   2003-12-14 6:23:01 PM  

#87  I wonder if we can get a real TV interview with Saddam now where the interviewer can ask what he wants and doesn't have to kiss Saddam's ass?

By somebody other than Dan Rather, that is, who would likely kiss Saddam's ass by choice.
Posted by: Dar   2003-12-14 6:15:07 PM  

#86  How much was on the meter of the taxi?
Posted by: mojo   2003-12-14 5:58:53 PM  

#85  "Well, Mohammed, you've just turned in Saddam Hussein and collected a $25 million check. What are your plans now?"

"I'm going to Disneyland!"
Posted by: Dar   2003-12-14 4:56:09 PM  

#84  JFM - Perhaps I should describe it as "underpriced." It's really quite tasty, especially after the second bottle...
Posted by: Fred   2003-12-14 4:38:21 PM  

#83  TGA, you have lived in interesting times.
Posted by: Matt   2003-12-14 3:21:14 PM  

#82  JFM---Actually, there are not, but thanks for the thought anyway.

Lucky---they were mints! Andes chocolate mints. Mmmm.
Posted by: Angie Schultz   2003-12-14 3:11:22 PM  

#81  I remember the falls of two tyrants, Hitler and Stalin. Hitler's death was broadcast with a lie on the (still Nazi controlled) radio. And when the news came that Stalin had died the guards wept in the camp and when one inmate broke out in cheers he was shot in the head.

The Iraqis had a better day than that. I hope that this picture of Saddam will stick in the minds of those who are still under the rule of oppressors. And I hope that the Iraqis take note: It was the Americans who showed you that Saladin had no clothes. Bomb away the Americans you'll bomb away your future and just make room for another tyrant. Just his hat will be different.
Posted by: True German Ally   2003-12-14 3:03:42 PM  

#80  Why cheap? If you are disgusted at the French then buy Spanish or California champagne but buy a good one: it is a memorable occasion.
Posted by: JFM   2003-12-14 3:02:26 PM  

#79  Ahhh! Cheap champagne! My favorite!
Posted by: Fred   2003-12-14 2:55:13 PM  

#78  A great day indeed. TGA: thank you for the heart felt sentiments and the great Macbeth quote. Season's greetings to you and yours. Alaska Paul....what are the Paleo thugs doing? Just what you suspected... holding pro Saddam rallies and burning flags, displaying for all the world that they should be moved up on the "To Do" list. In fact, the response from the Arab world is disgusting in its silence...all the while Iraqis celebrate in the streets.
And now....time for a glass of the local bubbly that I have saved just for this. Season's greetings Rantburgers!
Posted by: Rex Mundi   2003-12-14 2:46:22 PM  

#77  Thank God as the author of Justice, and the US Armed Forces as His Divine Arm enforcing it! I learned the news while at Church, and I do believe the Choir sounded a heck of a lot better than usual!

Good quote, TGA!

4th: I predict that the Dihimmicrats will be as unreasonable as usual: They were PO'ed when Saddam's hellspawn were killed, and they'll be equally PO'ed that Saddam was captured alive. Although I get PO'ed easily, I do it in private and very rarely curse someone publicly. However, I DO plan to tell anyone who winges about this to F**K *FF.

Posted by: Ptah   2003-12-14 2:28:08 PM  

#76  Angie Schultz

If your boyfriend doesn't let you ululate and fire your AK47 then remind him that there is a looong line of people wanting to replace him. :-) And no, I am not in the line. :-)
Posted by: JFM   2003-12-14 1:50:40 PM  

#75  Saddam will tell us everything he knows in exchange for a nice cell in florida (he can play cards with neriega)

By the time we are done with him, we will know the full WMD story, and probably the location of the lindbergh baby, and what happens to matching socks when they go into the dryer.

Oh yes, he will talk.
Posted by: flash91   2003-12-14 1:35:59 PM  

#74  So what are they doing in Gaza today? Passing out Tums or something?
Posted by: Alaska Paul   2003-12-14 1:28:28 PM  

#73  Okay, Wolf Blitzer is starting up the DNC spin: "do you think it's a mistake to take saddam alive, or should he have been killed?" We'll see which one of the dwarves takes that and runs with it.
Posted by: 4thInfVet   2003-12-14 1:25:52 PM  

#72  I bet Lieberman will make the first statement by a Democrat.

It was hard to see Sadaam's picture on the TV because my kids were whacking the screen with the heels of their sneakers. I did notice that we were wrong to look for Elvis all theis time. The Baathists had made him up to look like Jerry Garcia.
Posted by: Super Hose   2003-12-14 1:19:09 PM  

#71  Ozymandias by P.B. Shelley,

I met a traveller from an antique land
Who said: "Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. Near them on the sand,
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown
And wrinkled lip and sneer of cold command
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed.
And on the pedestal these words appear:
'My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings:
Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!'
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,
The lone and level sands stretch far away.
Posted by: Patrick Phillips   2003-12-14 1:01:51 PM  

#70  No comment from the nine dwarves?

They're all wondering what ELSE could go wrong with their 'campaign strategies'- economy booming, saddam rolled up, e.u. going into the crapper. They're going to have to start sending funds to al qaeda and hizbollah (if they already aren't, the bastards) to try and bring Dubya down.
Posted by: 4thInfVet   2003-12-14 1:01:16 PM  

#69  If the Iraqis decide to go the firing squad route (instead of the shredder, beheading, TGA's inventive suggestion, etc.) I wonder how they'll pick who gets to be on the firing squad? Only about twenty million people personally want a piece of this guy.

Maybe the solution is a lottery. If you include the Kurds, the Shia's, the Kuwaitis, maybe even the Iranians, and the coalition troops, you can get a real Middle Eastern Powerball going. It would jumpstart the Iraqi economy.
Posted by: Matt   2003-12-14 12:49:50 PM  

#68  I have a suggestion for the Iraqi government. Buy a large quantity of epoxy resin. Try Hussein, use real evidence - that will mean a virtually automatic guilty verdict. Put the sad little piece of rubbish into a box, pour in the resin until he's completeley covered, and the resin is at least six to eight inches thick on all sides, and let it harden. Suspend that in a slightly larger space, and pour in more resin, until Hussein is completely enclosed within a cube of clear resin, at least 10 inches thick. Suspend it in the middle of the busiest intersection in Baghdad, as a daily reminder of what DID happen, to make sure it never happens again.

Hussein will have his immortality, but it won't be anything like what he'd envisioned!

Posted by: Old Patriot   2003-12-14 12:47:43 PM  

#67  The mother of all cowards! Angie may those candies be sweet little mints

Best thread ever!
Posted by: Lucky   2003-12-14 12:36:02 PM  

#66  Or return him to the cave he was found in... without the ventilation.
Posted by: True German Ally   2003-12-14 12:08:22 PM  

#65  Aaron Brown looked like he wanted to cry. Nic Robertson (reporting from baghdad) looks like he's disappointed somehow. Foxnews is showing the celebrations in Iraq, but they're the only ones. I imagine by the time Dubya's speech is over, CNN will be spinning this into some kind of disaster.

I would say send the mutt straight to the Hague, but those eurofag commie bastards would probably try to make saddam a permanent rep to the u.n. Maybe we should just give him to the Kuwaitis and let them behead the mutt.
Posted by: 4thInfVet   2003-12-14 12:05:55 PM  

#64  Dar,

Sen. McCain was just on, blathering about how Saddam should be tried by the Iraqis and -then- the ICC (which would mean no death penalty for him once the ICC punks got him into custody). That's what he's probably thinking. If so, he's in for a big rude awakening with George "I Wuuves the Death Penalty" W. Bush in charge. That, and he's a coward, as was already mentioned
Posted by: Ernest Brown   2003-12-14 12:05:14 PM  

#63  Yes true but as they say: Read the whole thing!
Posted by: True German Ally   2003-12-14 11:49:43 AM  

#62  My boyfriend won't let me go outside and ululate. Sez it'll scare the neighbors. So I'll do it here.

Lulululululululu!

Time for candy!
Posted by: Angie Schultz   2003-12-14 11:48:01 AM  

#61  TGA - wasn't that Col. Kurtz in Apocalypse Now? Ohhhhhh, that was a movie?
Posted by: Frank G   2003-12-14 11:36:31 AM  

#60  To Osama and Saddam

We are the hollow men
We are the stuffed men
Leaning together
Headpiece filled with straw. Alas!
Our dried voices, when
We whisper together
Are quiet and meaningless
As wind in dry grass
Or rats' feet over broken glass
In our dry cellar...

...This is the way tyrants end
Not with a bang but a whimper.

(almost T.S.Eliot, The Hollow Men)
Posted by: True German Ally   2003-12-14 11:30:50 AM  

#59  I almost choked on my tongue while ululating - Ack!


No comment from the nine dwarves?
Posted by: Frank G   2003-12-14 11:17:34 AM  

#58  TGA, congratulations for the quote - bulleye !!
Being a native mid-eastern myself I would like to reciprocate with the (somewhat less eloquent) poetic Arabic idiom:
"Kul Calb Bij'yomo"
{lamely translated as: "every dog has his day coming"}
I would like to compensate for the lack of poetic expression by toasting a glass of good Schnapps to your health.
Posted by: The Dodo   2003-12-14 11:14:52 AM  

#57  Ding, dong the thug is jugged
which old thug?
the baathist thug
ding dong the baathist thug is jugged
He'll go were the goblins go -
Gitmo, Gitmo, Gitmo!
Posted by: Spot   2003-12-14 11:12:19 AM  

#56  What happened to the "brave man" we saw on TV some eight months ago vowing to fight the USA until his last breath? He was found cowering, sharing a hole in the ground with rats. Let this be a key lesson to all you young, extremists who take up arms and C-4 belts at the behest of your "brave", Islamofacist leaders. They don’t mind you dying for your raisins in Heaven, but given their opportunity for bravery, they cower among the rats in a tiny hole in the ground. This is the dedication and leadership that is eager to march you over the precipice.

To the terrorists: Clearly you have choice. You may either be blindly led over this steep, foundationless, ledge; or you may turn and look upon your leaders for the feckless cowards that they are. Speak brave words of vacuous courage, then dig a hole and lie fallow with the rats. Or, speak brave words of vacuous courage, then wave your guns in anger. In the latter case we will mow you son of a bitches down and return you to the dust from which you born. Or, we will dig your sorry ass out that spider hole you may chose to hide in. Cleary, the choice is yours. The only issue that remains open: Just how long it will take us to find you. But keep this in mind: It is only a matter of time.

Congratulations to all the men and women in the Iraqi theatre of operations. Job well done.
Posted by: Dragon Fly   2003-12-14 11:08:43 AM  

#55  
Fred,
Don't worry, by the time they let the iraqis have him he would be sucked dry (by "very gentle" interrogation means, I'm sure) of every crumb of information he knows and I trust the guy to drag baby Assad and a few other terrorists and terrorist backers into the abyss with him.
Think there's a chance he might spill out the location of all those WMD's he stashed away ??
Posted by: The Dodo   2003-12-14 11:05:55 AM  

#54  TGA, great quote. Dar, as for why didn't he kill himself, consider the possibility that he's a coward. This is a great day.
Posted by: Matt   2003-12-14 11:05:41 AM  

#53  JFM, may you drink deep brother!
and I will drink deeper for you and for all the American, British, Polish, Italian and other freedom loving allies' soldiers doing all the hard work down there.
I wish I could be there to help.
Posted by: The Dodo   2003-12-14 10:57:09 AM  

#52  Dar - He'd make an excellent ornament hanging from a Crawford cottonwood... But they're going to let the Iraqis have him. I don't know if you've noticed, but they're not as... ummm... gentle as the U.S.A.

But don't put your full weight down yet. Remember, it'll be time for Dire Revenge™...
Posted by: Fred   2003-12-14 10:53:38 AM  

#51  The Dodo

Thank you for the ammo box. I will drink to your health.
Posted by: JFM   2003-12-14 10:48:00 AM  

#50  P.S.
May the Arafish follow the footsteps of his sponsor!

Joe,
I'm reserving some ammo for the Arafish death party celebrations in the Mukata'ah (to follow soon).
Posted by: The Dodo   2003-12-14 10:44:14 AM  

#49  TGA--Excellent quote!

I'm thinking Saddam would make a great ornament on the White House Christmas tree!

Joy to the World!
Posted by: Dar   2003-12-14 10:43:41 AM  

#48  What was this guy thinking to let himself be taken alive? Does he think he can justify his behavior to a tribunal? Does he think France, Russia, and Germany will still stand by him? Does he think he can be made into a martyr by giving some dramatic, bombastic, Ba'athist rhetoric on the gallows?

I can't imagine what he was thinking in giving himself up and allowing himself to be filmed and humiliated. If he was tired of running, the best thing for him to do was stay in some random hole and put a bullet in his brain so nobody would ever find him and his sympathizers could continue to laugh at the US for not finding him. He's just given his greatest enemy their greatest PR moment of the year!

All in all, great news! I expect we'll see some desperate attacks in the next month from the die-hard Ba'athists who now realize they've got no chance to succeed and will choose to flame out, but long term this is a huge win for Free Iraq and the Coalition!

Remember when Saddam was re-elected with 100% of the vote back in October of '02? Guess all those Iraqis celebrating on TV today were disenfranchised back then. ;-)
Posted by: Dar   2003-12-14 10:42:09 AM  

#47  Yip Yip Yippee! Wonder how long before they start calling this Bush's "December Surprise"?
Now for the next step in the war on terror, beating the Cowboys today. Ulululululululululu!!!
Posted by: Steve   2003-12-14 10:40:05 AM  

#46  Then yield thee, coward,
And live to be the show and gaze o' the time:
We'll have thee, as our rarer monsters are,
Painted on a pole, and underwrit,
'Here may you see the tyrant.'

Macbeth, Act 5. Scene VIII
Posted by: True German Ally   2003-12-14 10:37:03 AM  

#45  JFM,
I just fired a whole box of ammo especially for you ! (i'm also considering firing a smal WMD to celebrate the ocation).

Joe,
here goes:
1) open your mouth.
2)put your middle finger between your open lips
3)shriek your lungs out while undulating your finger between the upper and lower lips.

am doing the same here, (Jerusalem) I am sure they can hear me in bagdad now!

Seriousely, this deserves a little celebration.
Where's that bottle of "The Balvenie DoubleWood"
12 years old single malt I put aside for a special day ?

I wish I could pour all of you RB's a tumbler !
Posted by: The Dodo   2003-12-14 10:34:56 AM  

#44  Fruits of the wine: How sweet it is watching the sour grapes!!
I was watching a reporter on CNN, standing in front of #10 Downing and looking so very glum...like he'd lost his best friend. He was consoling himself that this wouldn't help Blair - since it was never about finding Sadaam - but about finding the wmd's (which, by the way, they haven't found yet).

Ahh...watching them drink the vinegar while we drink the wine, makes it taste all the much sweeter!.
Posted by: B   2003-12-14 10:29:11 AM  

#43  I could think of only two words this Sunday: "THANK GOD!"
Posted by: Anonymous   2003-12-14 10:19:36 AM  

#42  Looks like his luck ran out. Sing with me...
Timothy Learyz Dead!
Posted by: Lucky   2003-12-14 10:18:03 AM  

#41  Ding Dong! The witch is as good as dead!
Posted by: B   2003-12-14 10:15:55 AM  

#40  How many millions did Saddam spend on those elaborate, well-stocked, German-made bunkers, only to be rousted from a second-rate foxhole looking like a dumpster diver behind a 7-11?

Ah, Sweet Justice!
Posted by: Dar   2003-12-14 10:14:57 AM  

#39  God Bless our troups, and the people of Iraq. Let's hope their future is as full of joy and opportunity and freedom as their recent past has been filled with horror and oppression.

Like the man said, "Today's humpday in the War On Terror", but OH WHAT A HUMP!

Can't wait to see the drunken, sloppy-happy post from Zeyad!!!!!! Fire one off for me Z-Blog!
Posted by: Hyper   2003-12-14 9:58:20 AM  

#38  Duh ... that was already addressed above. Two late XMAS parties in a row & I'm not quite awake yet. [grin]
Posted by: rkb   2003-12-14 9:55:13 AM  

#37  TGA #29 - there is one report from an Arab source that he was both armed and wearing a suicide belt but did not offer resistance or trigger the belt.

Haven't heard that confirmed by other sources yet but I just got the news ....
Posted by: rkb   2003-12-14 9:45:08 AM  

#36  First a shave and a shower, then a really long chat. He needs to look good for his appointment with the hangman.
Posted by: Douglas De Bono   2003-12-14 9:36:01 AM  

#35  Well he looked like Santa fallen on REAL hard times...
Posted by: True German Ally   2003-12-14 9:29:36 AM  

#34  Adult beverages all 'round! Bartender, a tall glass of your finest giggle juice for Sammy here . . . .
Posted by: Mike   2003-12-14 9:27:55 AM  

#33  What a terrific Christmas present for the world! Hot damn!

I've always wondered what the trials would have been like if they had captured Hitler in WW2. Watching Saddam on trial will be extremely interesting.
Posted by: Dar   2003-12-14 9:26:32 AM  

#32  I'll bet Santa was happy to get that piece of crap out of his bag early. Merry Christmas, Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines!!!!!
Posted by: whitecollar redneck   2003-12-14 8:56:17 AM  

#31  All hail, Rantburgers! You got the scoop on this story!
I think Matt Drudge is either still asleep or he's dead...
Posted by: Jennie Taliaferro   2003-12-14 8:54:03 AM  

#30  Major loss of Arab face by being captured alive.
Posted by: Shipman   2003-12-14 8:42:46 AM  

#29  Christmas came early. Congratulations America.

But where was his suicide belt??? Saladin must be turning in his grave!

Ahhhh, Arabian heroes...
Posted by: True German Ally   2003-12-14 8:41:39 AM  

#28  Merry Christmas everybody!It's great to be alive at this moment,I can tell you:-)

PS.re:Saddam's fate.There's only one thing that Saddam is useful for;he can help establish rule of law in Iraq by being the first to be convicted of war crimes against his countrymen by a jury of peers.That'll help a lot.
Posted by: El Id   2003-12-14 8:20:27 AM  

#27  Well, I was wrong I thought he was dead. I shall launch my Astrobee by way of signaling my contrition.
He did look like a squeegee man didn't he?

Posted by: Shipman   2003-12-14 8:20:04 AM  

#26  Sic semper tyrranis!
Posted by: Mike   2003-12-14 8:14:57 AM  

#25  New phrase in the lexicon soon to suffer from overuse: "spider hole"
Posted by: Douglas   2003-12-14 8:14:11 AM  

#24  Looking at the footage on FOX, the old phrase: 'and there was much rejoicing' comes to mind...yes indeed.

I look forward to the grin on Dubya's face (and the sour looks on the donk candidates faces...^_^ ).

Posted by: CPT. Charles   2003-12-14 8:09:35 AM  

#23  5:15am(MST)News conference,
Paul Bremer:"We got him".
Blew me away to hear a Moslem calling Americans and Coalition members"Brothers"and Bremer"Dear Brother".
Posted by: raptor   2003-12-14 8:09:34 AM  

#22  I wonder if Howard Dean thinks that this is a good thing.
Posted by: Tibor   2003-12-14 8:09:19 AM  

#21  ".com," I thought the Arabic reaction was incredible!
They were so explosively happy.
Those Iraqi guys went absolutely nuts when they showed the video of "Homeless Guy/Prisoner Saddam!"
(One man seemed to be sobbing at one point.)
And the many Arabic press people who praised the Coalition and their American "brothers" and called it a "new day for Iraq...!"
What a morning. Christmas really did come early, especially for the Iraqis, but for America, too!
I'm proud to have been a part of it, with my tax dollars if nothing else!
Posted by: Jennie Taliaferro   2003-12-14 7:52:35 AM  

#20  How does one ululate? I want to learn how so I can let forth with a couple of good loud yells today.
Posted by: Joe   2003-12-14 7:52:13 AM  

#19  .com, I can tell you one thing for sure: no joy and celebration on the streets of Gaza today.
Posted by: Rafael   2003-12-14 7:51:41 AM  

#18  I don't speak Arabic, but I sense the thrust of the Iraqi press corps' questions were: can we have a piece of Saddam?

The reaction when they first showed video of Saddam was kinda frightening. I got the sense that this man held such sway and fear over this country where he murdered and rape with such impunity, that members of the Iraqi press were overcome with relief.

But it's just a guess on my part.
Posted by: badanov   2003-12-14 7:49:25 AM  

#17  Sanchez is a sharp cookie at a press conference

Q: What was Saddam doing at the time you captured him?
Sanchez: He was hiding.

BWAHAHAHAHAHA!
Posted by: Glenn (not Reynolds)   2003-12-14 7:45:15 AM  

#16  "How did he manage to elude capture for so long?"

They were keeping him as a Christmas present for the troops and a New Year's gift for the Iraqi people. They even built a special hole for him to keep it a surprise.
Posted by: Rafael   2003-12-14 7:45:11 AM  

#15  I would be curious to hear what RBers think of the press conference. One thing in particular is what you think of the sound & tone & volume (heh) of the questions in Arabic, as well as the translations of those questions. The real flavor of dealing with Arabs is there - and I wonder if anyone found it interesting.

I'll also be curious to see what Zayed and other Iraqi bloggers have to say.

What a great day for Iraq!
Posted by: .com   2003-12-14 7:39:47 AM  

#14  Since I am trapped in a country where citizens are not allowed to have guns could anyone fire a couple of ammo clips in my name. :-)
Posted by: JFM   2003-12-14 7:22:32 AM  

#13  Note to all Rantburgers who want to fire their AK47s in celebration.

1) Don't hold it vertically: AK47 bulletts don't satellize: they end going down. Remember that KKK member who was wounded during a ceremony. I would shed no tears for him but I would hate the same thing happenning to a loyal Rantburger.

2) Take cover if you hear one your neigbours is firing in celebration.

3) Wear a helmet and if at all possible kevlar armor (again due to the neighbours).

4) Celebratory fire has to be done with AK47 only. That is the tradition. AK74s, M16s, Galils, M1A1s, Patriots, ICBMs are not allowed. Blblbl tough luck for their owners.
However AK47s are cheap. Specially in Peshawar.
Posted by: JFM   2003-12-14 7:16:40 AM  

#12  The alternative headline should be: 'Saddam Hussein Captured; Anti-war Protestors All Over the World Commit Suicide'
God let this be for real.
Posted by: Rafael   2003-12-14 7:07:50 AM  

#11  News reports say he had to be dug out. Apparently he hid in a basement. When they came for him, he was in the process of digging into the ground.

Here is a man who reached rock bottom. And then started digging.
Posted by: Crescend   2003-12-14 7:00:47 AM  

#10  The question is what do we do with him now? For a while I have been torn or whether or not it wouldn’t be better than he be killed during capture. But I think I was wrong...The Iraqi’s seem from live video footage to be very, very happy. This may help destroy his almost mythic standing in the Iraqi mind.
So I guess he’s eventually turned over to the Iraqi governing Council for trial. And what position does this put the Europeans, so staunchly anti-death penalty, if the Iraqi people decide that Saddam should be executed? Further, what if, during interrogation, he coughs up some good data on WMD? Oh, the possibilities are delicious.
And yet, all that really matter is that this may help Iraq calm down...for the benefit of the Iraqis, of course, but also so American Soldiers aren’t in so much damned danger.
Posted by: Traveller   2003-12-14 6:48:29 AM  

#9  Tony Blair is confirming to the BBC and Bremer did the same to the Jerusalem Post.
I wanna join in the gunfire!
Posted by: Jennie Taliaferro   2003-12-14 6:28:00 AM  

#8  More info here:
http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/meast/12/14/sprj.irq.main/index.html
Posted by: Scooter McGruder   2003-12-14 6:22:09 AM  

#7  Awesome...
Posted by: Paul Moloney   2003-12-14 6:14:02 AM  

#6  I just heard a breaking news report on CNN. This could be it, folks! I've got to run load up a clips of 7.62mm for celebratory gunfire now...
Posted by: Scooter McGruder   2003-12-14 6:08:56 AM  

#5  Pardon me while I ululate. Need to buy some candy to distribute.
Posted by: Crescend   2003-12-14 6:08:22 AM  

#4  This may be true. Thank God...

And when you get done thanking God thank the US Army.

I guess it is hard to express to the left how much this means for the US to capture this murdering f*cker!, so I will tell the left to STFU. Mission accomplished!

One other thought: Assad? You hearing this? You gonna behave and turn over the suppliers of munitions to Saddam? You can't run and you can't hide. Not from US forces.
Posted by: badanov   2003-12-14 6:00:38 AM  

#3  There is wild cerebratory gun-fire across all of Bagdad. There are conformations coming in from British Diplomatic sources, and the original breaking story was from Iran. This may be true. Thank God...
Posted by: Traveller   2003-12-14 5:52:51 AM  

#2  I'm awaiting confirmation of this report by any other source. So far, this is the only report I've seen, so I'm not shooting into the air with my AK-47 just yet....
Posted by: Scooter McGruder   2003-12-14 5:32:33 AM  

#1  (Thanks for posting this!)
I pray God that it's true! Yes! Hooah! Thank you, US forces!
Posted by: Jennie Taliaferro   2003-12-14 5:19:56 AM  

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