Rumsfeld’s History With Saddam

One of the reasons that the Republicans are so damn eager to gut Saddam is because, like Noriega, he’s a former US enforcer who took the Pentagon’s shilling (dollar?) but then had the temerity to go off and act independently of his paymasters. Letting these hard men get away with this sets a bad example and is not a good way to keep the rest of your bullies in line. This article recounts how, acting for Reagan as a Middle East envoy, Rumsfeld visited Saddam in the 80s. Apparently, Rumsfeld’s job was to drum up support for Iraq over Iran and to oversee US weapons sales to Iraq. These sales went ahead, even though it was common knowledge that the US ally Iraq was using chemical weapons against the Iranians. Good stuff. Of course, the stakes have risen in the Middle East now that the Israelis are threatening to go nuclear on Saddam’s arse. Iraq seems to be backing off a bit and pleading for UN inspectors to re-enter the country – one presumes this time without being a cover for US spies seeking to pinpoint Saddam’s location in order to assassinate him. This is what they tried a few years ago and I guess what really pissed off the mustache-burdened bully.