Saddam Death Sentence November 6!
Why won't the media cover this outrageous October Surprise?
Well, Karl Rove is back to being diabolically clever. The death sentence of Saddam Hussein will be broadcast in the media on November 6, the day before the US midterm elections. Bumps in the polls from stories like this don't last long, which accounts for the extraordinarily tight scheduling of the announcement.
Why won't the media cover this outrageous October Surprise?
by Joshua Holland
Earlier in the week I wrote about the likely death sentence to be handed down in Saddam Hussein's show trial just two days before the mid-term elections. If you missed it, read it here.
When I wrote that, I didn't know for a fact that most observers expected the trial to take far longer. But, according to Scott Horton, an adjunct professor at the Columbia University Law School who has visited Baghdad several times, that does appear to be the case.
According to the Institute for Public Accuracy, Horton said yesterday:
"Most observers expected the date would be much later, but it seems to have been moved up. It will be front page news in the papers on Monday -- the day before the election. This is designed to show some progress in Iraq. The American public will see Saddam condemned to death and see it as a positive thing.
When you look at polling figures, there have been three significant spike points. One was the date on which Saddam was captured. The second was the purple fingers election. The third was Zarqawi being killed. Based on those three, it's easy to project that they will get a mild bump out of this."
I'd add that these have been short-lived spikes. Longer than two days, but short-lived.
"In my experience, everything that comes out of Baghdad is very carefully prepared for U.S. domestic consumption. … There is a team of American lawyers working as special legal advisers out of the U.S. embassy, who drive the tribunal. They have been involved in preparing the case and overseeing it from the beginning. The trial, which is shown on TV, has mild entertainment value for Iraqis, but they refer to it regularly as an American puppet theater."
Well, Karl Rove is back to being diabolically clever. The death sentence of Saddam Hussein will be broadcast in the media on November 6, the day before the US midterm elections. Bumps in the polls from stories like this don't last long, which accounts for the extraordinarily tight scheduling of the announcement.
Why won't the media cover this outrageous October Surprise?
by Joshua Holland
Earlier in the week I wrote about the likely death sentence to be handed down in Saddam Hussein's show trial just two days before the mid-term elections. If you missed it, read it here.
When I wrote that, I didn't know for a fact that most observers expected the trial to take far longer. But, according to Scott Horton, an adjunct professor at the Columbia University Law School who has visited Baghdad several times, that does appear to be the case.
According to the Institute for Public Accuracy, Horton said yesterday:
"Most observers expected the date would be much later, but it seems to have been moved up. It will be front page news in the papers on Monday -- the day before the election. This is designed to show some progress in Iraq. The American public will see Saddam condemned to death and see it as a positive thing.
When you look at polling figures, there have been three significant spike points. One was the date on which Saddam was captured. The second was the purple fingers election. The third was Zarqawi being killed. Based on those three, it's easy to project that they will get a mild bump out of this."
I'd add that these have been short-lived spikes. Longer than two days, but short-lived.
"In my experience, everything that comes out of Baghdad is very carefully prepared for U.S. domestic consumption. … There is a team of American lawyers working as special legal advisers out of the U.S. embassy, who drive the tribunal. They have been involved in preparing the case and overseeing it from the beginning. The trial, which is shown on TV, has mild entertainment value for Iraqis, but they refer to it regularly as an American puppet theater."
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