Saddam Captured Alive: Weblog Reactions

Saddam Hussein has been captured in Iraq. I'm still waking up and not suitable for rational commentary yet, other than a simple "YES!" when I heard the news. So here's a quick roundup of the word around the blogosphere, by vague sure-to-be-argued with groupings:

(Update 12/16/03: OK, I'm done updating this post; what you see is what you get.)

Milblogs: Our Men & Women in Uniform

Baghdaddy reports: "There is such celebrating among the general population, that the spirit of Baghdad has changed to one of jubilation.... The celebratory fire, and the smiles on everyones faces is reminisent of the victory scene at the end of Return of The Jedi, when the Death Star was destroyed signifying the end of the Empire."

Boots on the Ground predicts: "The Iraqi people won't be afraid anymore, I think they'll finally stand up and fight against the Fedayeen. This is definitely a serious blow to the terrorists morale. I doubt the terrorism will stop, but it will make an impact on how they think. I think the Iraqis will also be more bold in helping to put a stop to the terrorists and Fedayeen."

Hardtack and Havok: "TO THE TYRANT NEVER YIELD"

Mudville Gazzette:: "[G]et ready, for the next time a US Soldier dies over there a media storm of "we've lost the war" coverage will exceed all previous attempts. It will "prove" that all Iraqis hate us, not just Saddam."

Trying to Grok: "I'm off to bake a "Suck it, Saddam" cake, as I promised in August. Photos to come..."

Blackfive: "I am so proud of our soldiers. 600 soldiers went in to capture a man who is responsible for the terrorist attacks on our troops, the deaths of their friends and comrades. They captured him without a shot."

Chief Wiggle's reaction is short, simple, and echoes my own.

Thanks to Citizen Smash for the use of his blogroll, who has now weighed in himself, desribing a conversation he had with an Iraqi while he was deployed:

"A few months ago in Kuwait, a local man shared his thoughts on the subject. "When you get Saddam," he told me, "you give him to us."

"We know what to do."

Argghhh!!!: "And the saddest part of this all, aside from the cost to the Iraqi people, is that the first thought of the Dwarfs was: "Oh shit, how the hell can we spin this?""

Warbloggers & Fellow Travellers

The Command Post is all over the established media.

Jeff Jarvis is focusing on Iraqi blogger's reactions (good idea)!

Amish Tech Support: "For the Queen to use... doo-doot doo-doot doo-doot doot-doot-doo-doo..."

Winds of Change: "Saddam Hussein ain't comin' back. And he'd better get used to that disheveled look."

On the Third Hand: "Yeeeeeeeeeeeee Haaaaaaaaaaaw!"

Meryl Yourish: "Crack your best bottle tonight and drink a toast to our armed forces." But wait! Meryl has more.

Jane Galt is ahead of the curve and has actual analysis already: "Now the question is "What should we do with him?" The answer, of course, is "try him". We want Saddaam to be seen as a criminal, not a martyr, not a victim of overweening US power..."

Wizbang: "This makes me glad I woke up early this morning..."

Dean Esmay: "We got him. Yeah. Good morning. So why don't you tell me why this is so cool?"

Oxblog: "PREDICTION: Guerilla attacks will intensify for about a month before they start melting away."

Acidman: "The "Butcher of Bahgdad" proved to be a complete coward in the end. The man who murdered hundreds of thousands of people when he was in power was found hiding in a "spider-hole" and resembling a complete wretch as he burrowed like a rat in the dirt."

!Insta: "Hmm. Let's ask him about the Atta thing, and see how cooperative he really is."

Pejman: "...when captured, he looked scraggly, dirty and pathetic. Thus the appearance. Thus the man. How fitting that he should be brought so low."

Blogs for Bush has another roundup of blogosphere reaction similar to this one.

PseudoPsalms sings a little Michael Jackson (!!!) and says "How sweet it is."

Alilison Kaplan Sommer: "Now they just showed the video -- the hole in the ground in the Tikrit basement where Saddam was hidden, and the pictures of Saddam himself being examined by a doctor. His beard is big and bushy and about three-quarters white and the rest black. He kind of looks like a scary anti-Santa Claus from hell. "

The Commissar: "So Militaristic Hegemons have captured glorious Comrade Saddam. Great man had grown beard. Had $750,000. Hiding in hole in house near Tikrit...Religious comrades may say prayer for Saddam, and for Howard Dean."

Captain's Quarters says "This should put a stop or at least severely dampen the "insurgency" in Iraq. Without Saddam as either the symbolic or operational head to their efforts, and with the vast majority of Iraqis opposing the actions of the Fedayeen, it should be rather easy to roll up the rest of their operation." and has more coverage.

Jessica's Well: "Even Qusay's 14 year-old son went out fighting in a hail of gunfire, but the modern Saladin goes down without firing a shot. "

Poliblog: "...the argument prior to today that it was a good thing that Saddam was out of power was hardly changing the views of those oppossed to the war in the first place. Indeed, when that point is raised, it is typically dismissed as "sure, it's a good thing, but was it worth it?" and I don't think that Saddam's capture will change that response very much by the vast majority of people who were supporting Dean prior to today."

For my own take on the news, I have a very simple question for those who opposed this war as illegitimate and illegal.

Spoons: "HOLY CRAP, WE'VE GOT SADDAM"

Patio Pundit: "I turned on the TV to watch Face the Nation but couldn't figure out why Dan Rather was guest hosting....HEY....that guy looks like..."

Hippercritical: "We rejoice with you brothers! This is not the end. It is just the beginning!!"

IMAO: "Consolations to the press and to the Democrats. I guess you can use the line, "Well, you still don't have Osama!" but I'm not sure how well that will go over (I'd probably punch you)."

Evangelical Outpost: "If anyone wonders why liberals are not taking seriously when it comes to foreign policy one has to look no further than their pessimistic attitudes towards Saddam’s capture..."

Hell in a Handbasket: "This [won't] make everything all perfect and rosy but it's a great win for our side. I don't expect the not-so-loyal opposition to see it that way, but to heck with them."

Stephen Green: "Wow". And follows up with more sage commentary.

Daily Pundit: "The anti-Bush left (and the loony lib right) will spin this thusly; "We got Saddam, that's what we went there for, now there's no further reason to stay, so let's pull out.""

Priorities & Frivolities: "The situation will still, of course, be dangerous, but peaceful Iraqis and coalition forces will have a significant advantage."

Insults Unpunished: "This is a huge event. Among other things, it will be disheartening for the insurgents that have been holding out for Saddam's return and will make Iraq a more stable place for investment. Yes, even with the strongest military on Earth in place Iraq is a dangerous place and investors know that. Every step towards a secure Iraq brings new hope for a prosperous future."

At Not a Fish, Israeli blogger Imshin celebrates the news by posting a picture of herself and her husband in gas masks during the 1991 war.

Outside the Beltway has lots of coverage: just keep scrolling.

Dead Parrot Society: "Today is a proud moment for our troops. But it's an absolutely brilliant, singular moment of freedom for the Iraqi people."

Foreign Dispatches: "I have to say that I'm rather disappointed in Saddam, as I felt certain that he'd rather take the Hitler-option and put a bullet in his own head rather than risk capture. I guess it only goes to show that the man is too much of a coward to contemplate suicide.."

Kesher Talk: "...the downside of not having some newsy sound blathering away in the background all the time is that I'm cocooning on a snowy Sunday, I don't turn the thing on, and I miss the biggest news of 2004."

Lobowalk: "Good news and bad news. Good news for the Iraqis and the United States. Bad news for France, after all, word has it that Saddam is "talking"..."

Laughingwolf: "What a way to start the day!" And as a bonus, he offers a celebratory breakfast receipe.

Discount Blogger: "European Union nations are already talking about sparing Saddam the death penalty. Don't have a link for this one. BUt WATCH it become an issue..."

eTalkinghead: "The political ramifications are absolutely huge. Gone are the days of chastising Bush for not getting it done in Iraq. Now that we've achieved one of the most important objectives in Iraq--capturing Hussein--Bush has achieved a large political victory."

miniluv.com: "Americans here in the U.S. will never truly understand what it is like to live under a dictator. We will never truly understand the sheer agonizing joy that the people of Iraq are washed with at this moment. This lasts much longer than a news media blitz for them. This lasts a lifetime, as they have spent a lifetime living under his regime."

Postmodernclog: "Just wanted to thank the guys of the 4th ID for a job well-done. Thank you for the sacrifices you're making. Thank you for finishing off one of the ugliest regimes in recent memory, and thank you for taking out one more friend of the terrorists. We know it wasn't easy..."

Liberals and the Left

Atrios: "Capturing Saddam is a good thing - he was a bad guy. I'm really glad he was captured and not killed. But, it really doesn't change much. Capturing Saddam isn't going to end the resistance to the US occupation in Iraq... "

Daily Kos: "Capturing Saddam is good news (although not as exciting or important as would be news of capturing the guy Bob Graham called "Osama Bin Forgotten"). But capturing him alive might not have been the best news for the Bush administration..."

Mustang Bobby at The Liberal Coalition: "Good. Can we go home now?"

Oliver Willis: "Saddam's been caught. AWESOME! [snip] We're at a critical phase now, wonder if the Bush team will take the easy way out? It may be the fall of the Taliban all over again..."

The People's Republic of Seabrook: "Well, Merry Christmas to George W. Bush...and let the war crimes trial begin!!! [snip] Yes, Saddam Hussein was a bad man who has much to answer and pay for. I can't help but wonder, though...will the American administrations who helped keep him in power over the years be held accountable?"

WTF is it Now offers a fine image for the day.

Norbizness: "Stay tuned! I will outdo all of the television pundits and predict with stunning accuracy exactly how this is going to affect the ongoing reconstruction of Iraq, the planning and coordination of insurgent attacks upon Coalition troops and international aid projects, the race for the Presidency in 2004, the stock market, and the Bowl Championship Series."

Poison Kitchen: "CNN is reporting dancing people in the streets. Lots of dancing people. Lots of dancing smiling people waving red flags with hammers and sickles on them. Yep ... the only people dancing in the videos I saw were remarkably happy Communists. Not a word about that obvious fact in the CNN report other than to say they were waving "flags" and having a "traditional celebration.""

Dohiyi Mir: "Getting Saddam is an unvarnished Good Thing as far as I'm concerned, but now I want to consider what impact this could have on our Presidential election..."

Iddybud: "Good work by our brave American forces. This is their shining moment..most deservedly..."

Kausfiles: "It appears we've captured Saddam. A special award to the first reporter or commentator who argues this is actually good news for Howard Dean."

Shock and Awe: "I'd love to see Saddam Hussein tried before an international tribunal... [snip] More likely he'll be turned over to the new Iraqi government. Will they give him a fair trial? In short: No. I'd love to be surprised on this, but the truth is, we'll likely see some mockery of justice and an execution, which will transform Saddam from a captured, beaten old man into an international martyr symbolizing American-style injustice. Lovely."

Anonymoses: "The ever-nutty Middle East kecked up their posterboy for riches today, and all the poor bastard had on him was a gun, a change of clothes, and a stack of American cash amounting to, oh, seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars. My guess is that hideholes in Iraq don't take Visa, otherwise he would have put it on credit, like every other sucker..."

Clareified: "What strikes me the most about the operation though, is that these units had orders to kill or capture Saddam. There were loaded guns found with him, but without firing any shots, they simply took him into custody. The honor in it is quietly beautiful. Our troops aren't killers, they're soldiers and I am proud of them."

Wanted: A Vast Left-Wing Conspiracy: "Every Muslim extremist across the planet has said, "I give up; I'm converting to Christianity," and Iraqi resistance to the US occupation has vanished. In the United States, the 4 million jobs lost during the Bush regime have re-appeared, and employers announced that they were finally going to pay workers a living wage and provide them with decent, affordable health benefits..."

Folks I don't know well enough to classify

Gigglechick: "i think i just saw a pig land on the bird feeder outside..."

Kevin Donahue: "I was (and continue to be) touched by the images of the Iraqis celebrating the arrival of US troops months ago. It's quite possible that the most touching image years from now, though, may be the tears and cheers of the Iraqi reporters and media when the announcement came, "Ladies and gentlemen, we got him.""

Iranian Truth: "I'd like to see him detail his crimes, and specifically the support he received from proxies around the world, including the US, in massacring thousands of religious and ethnic dissidents including Iranians. If there is a time where truth and justice can be heard, it should be now. We the international community should put pressure on the authorities in power to provide for a fair and free trial for Saddam and to hold him accountable for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the various other gross and massive violations of human rights this man has contributed."

Davids Medienkritik: "Following the capture of Saddam journalists will as usual in such cases try to downplay the success of the Americans. The negative aspects of Saddam's capture will stressed, as well as the problems of the US in Iraq. Here's our forecast how the media will comment Saddam's capture..."