Noah Millman takes on my what-to-do-with-Saddam column on his blog today
Noah argues for the trial as well as
it CAN be argued, I think, though I am not convinced. I will concede this
much, though: The justice I am asking for in the column is a very rough
justice, and could use some formalizing. I’d like to see an article written
into the rules of war (Geneva convention, or whatever) to the effect that an
enemy principal, if arrested and identified, could be summarily killed after
some suitable, BUT VERY BRIEF, and non-public procedure.
That seems to be what the Romanians did with the Ceaucescus, btw. A reader
tells me they were not shot out of hand; there was a hearing of some kind.
Saddam had a sidearm when captured, incidentally, and so was I believe
technically an armed enemy combatant, which would seem to entitle him to POW
status. All the more reason for some exception to be made for principals.