Is anyone here personally worried about the effect of the Saddam verdict?

[Ignacio Upton]

Honestly, I don't think it will have a MAJOR effect like Saddam's capture did, or even one similar to the 2004 Osama tape. However, even a small bounce in the polls for the Republicans could affect the outcome in several races. If we lose MT, MO, and VA in the Senate because of this announcement, then I won't be surprised. We could also narrowly loses several House races as a result, and if we win the House, we will have a narrow margain than we would have originally had.

[Infinite Hope]

1. No.

It'll backfire because people will see the government trying to take them for fools again. 2 days before the election? Come on. You can't be any more transparent than that and for the first time in 6 years the American public is awake and cynical.

Further, the violence immediately following the verdict will cause great harm for the GOP among independents and even their base. It's unfortunately going to be chaos over there for 2 days leading up to the election.

[Nay]

23. It will hopefully remind many people that Saddam had nothing to

do with 9/11, and our soldiers are still getting killed in Iraq for NOTHING.

[Webster Green]

2. It could just as easily work in favor of the good guys..

If violence escalates, which is likely, it will remind everyone just how fucked up the invasion and occupation of Iraq turned out to be.

[Tess49]

3. The administration has to be a bit concerned that the verdict

will cause all hell to break loose in Iraq. Could get nastier than they could have ever imagined.

[colonel odis]

4. unless the headlines all day monday are about iraq going up in flames.

[longship]

5. What will happen in Iraq on Sunday?

After the verdict, Iraq might light up in all sorts of violence.
I feel that this isn't going to be a pretty sight and will play directly into the Dems' hands.

Chaos in Iraq is not good for the GOP.

[Quixote1818]

8. They are predicting unprecedented violence. nt

[burythehatchet]

6. I'm really surprised they didn't make a reality show out of it.

There could have been so many interesting contests.

[BurtWorm]

7. No.

Unless all heel breaks all the way loose, in which case, that won't be good for people who sold us this war.

[BOSSHOG]

9. when bush's verdict is read, freepers will riot in the streets

but when confronted by anyone they will slink back to their klaverns.

[Old and In the Way]

10. No, but people will question the timing of the annoucement.

It won't change a single Democratic vote...it might be the last cynical straw for some Republican voters, though.

[blm]

12. I agree with this - people are SICK of the balatant manipulation.

.

[Ignacio Upton]

14. Our surrogates on tv should question the timing

No "we're glad that Saddam has been convicted, but this doesn't change things on the ground."

[kenny blankenship]

24. Plus, Saddam convicted largely works as an add-on argument to the old chestnut

"isn't the world better off since we removed Saddam Hussein?"
And now with 650,000+ Iraqis dead, the country in flames, no end in sight to the civil war, and longterm trending towards becoming a strong Iranian ally, and possibly also a terror haven, the old argument aren't we better off without Saddam NO LONGER WORKS.

Iraqis are worse off now than they were under Saddam even with the sanctions in place, and our position in the Middle East has been staked on a high risk adventure which failed, causing that position to crumble, along with our international prestige and overall military power.

[Old and In the Way]

32. No fan of Saddam here......

but you are correct. Are the Iraqi's better off without Saddam? I think they'd answer, no.

If our intention was humanitarian (Saddam was an evil man and must be disposed)then Bush should have used Clinton's Kosovo model. For one thing, it should have been a real multi-national force (not a multi-national farce) under NATO or UN control. It worked reasonably well in Kosovo.

But, that was never the real purpose of the invasion. It was about controlling the oil and using this was to further Republican domestic political interests. There was no post invasion plan for a viablle, independent Iraq. The Iraqi people understand that and that's why we are fighting a no-win war of attrition now. If it had been a world-wide intervention of sufficient strength, I think the results could have been dramatically different. Maybe.

[seabeyond]

11. no n/t

[Richard Steele]

13. Nope. The verdict is a foregone conclusion- last summer's news.

The only way it will be more than a tiny blip
on the radar is if it comes back "NOT guilty".

Which is entirely possible, you know.

[Earth_First]

15. On U.S. elections? No. On the safety of Iraqis? Yes.

It's going to be a violent verdict on the streets of Iraq. If it's possible for the violence to increase, it'll be from a death sentence on Saddam.

However, I don't believe that a single event is going to be able to capitalize and overshadow the dreary-eyed folks who are experiencing their awakening and vote any differently.

The GOP base, especially the evangelical base, upon whom the GOP greatly depends on, is feeling a bit flush.

[kenny blankenship]

16. Personally i am worried about how many car bombs will detonate

in Baghdad within a short time frame upon Saddam's conviction. It may not be a big deal since I doubt many Sunnis like him anyway. As for the effect it will have on our election, I doubt it will have any. People have made up their minds about the unwisdom of invading Iraq already. Saddam's conviction was supposed to be icing on the cake for a Reptlilican midterm victory--probably following the close of air operations against Iran--but it won't be the victory lap that KKKarl Rove hoped it would be, since Bushler has clearly been defeated in Iraq.

[gulliver]

17. It will have a negative effect on Iraq if it looks like U.S. politics ...

... drove the decision. Bush's arranging for the verdict to happen right before the U.S. election has to say something to the Iraqi people. The Sunni's will say that it proves the Shiites and the Iraqi justice system are in the pocket of the United States. And maybe they are even right.

Even if this verdict were happening two days before the election by chance, it would be incumbent on the United States to try to delay it. But it's just too coincidental. Bush, as usual, turns everything he touches into crap.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

18. It Will Make The Reaction To The Rodney King Verdict Look Like A Tea Party...

I feel sorry for the Shiites because the Sunnis are not going to be happy...

[Strelnikov_]

19. I Am Concerned That This Will Be Used As The Reason For The 'GOP Miracle

Comeback' on election day, if you know what I mean.

As for the electorate, I think it will be a negative, for the GOP. It will only serve to put Iraq in the spotlight. Also, does anyone really think he is innocent?

But as we know, it is all about who counts (and suppresses) the vote.

[Ignacio Upton]

20. Saddam is helping Diebold

Doesn't sound implausible to me, although I doubt Diebold will be a far-reaching as some here think.

[Strelnikov_]

21. Yep. The Tsunami Coming Their Way Will Probably Overtop The Diebold

and voter suppression dikes.

[Jack Rabbit]

22. No, why?

Saddam will be found guilty. I suspect he did not receive a fair trail, but I am also certain he would have been found guilty if he had.

This has been so heavily advertised as to be anti-climatic.

The real surprise would be that Saddam is found not guilty. Then one would wonder how incompetent the neocons really are to put Saddam on trial and fail to convict.

Most people have their minds made up. The war in Iraq has gone badly; convicting Saddam of of some of his crimes is not a great accomplishment. The Iraqi people need infrastructure more than they need the rope to hang Saddam's worthless hide. We, the American people, need to stop having our pockets picked by the Bush regime on behalf of Halliburton and Parsons.

The invasion of Iraq had nothing to do with national security. It didn't make us safer. Since Iraq had no ties to international terrorism and was not a threat to its weakest neighbor, in spite of Saddam's blustering, invading Iraq could not have made us safer. Indeed, it has probably made us less safe. The verdict in Saddam's trial will not change that one way or the other.

The Republicans will try to spin this on the Sunday talk shows and it will be greeted with a collective yawn. Bechtel has pulled out. When is Bush going to pull our sons and daughters out?

[Mme. Defarge]

25. What about a new terror alert in the U.S.

on Monday or Tuesday with the aim of scaring voters into not going to the polls? The timing of this is too coincidental.

[Golden Raisin]

26. It will make a perfect

smokescreen for the scumbag media. They can cover it 24/7 and use it to deflect coverage of election fraud stories. You know if the verdict is death that Hannity, Limbaugh, Beck and O'Reilly will be in an orgmasic state of phony, chests-puffed-out patriotism and jacking up the level of all their usual arrogant bull.

[LeftCoast]

27. Nope. May even help

[blogslut]

28. I worry for the Iraqis

As for Americans, the verdict will be a big, fat reminder of the fact that our children are STILL THERE.

[Swede]

29. You mean the bloodbath in Iraq in the aftermath?

It's gonna be a lose-lose situation.

[madmusic]

30. No. Everyone knew he was guilty a year ago.

Nancy Grace said so.

[Zambero]

31. "Anticlimactic" is one term that comes to mind

As one who prides himself on having a keen sense of the obvious, I'd blurt out "no-brainer" as well, but that term has become somewhat tainted as of late!

[tableturner]

33. Expected, obvious timing, so no bounce at all, might hurt GOP....

Everyone knows he will be convicted and sentenced to death. Big deal.

Everyone knows this is being timed for domestic political reasons by the White House, which will elicit tremendous cynicism amongst the populace. This will look so overtly political in timing that the situation will, in the minds of the public, automatically and involuntarily highlight the void in the legitimate arsenal that can be employed by the GOP in this election. Most of the public will say to themselves "They are having to hang their hats on this? Obviously, they have nothing else to run on." Plus, it will be a reminder, subliminal at least, and most likely overt, of the mess in Iraq.

The great hullabaloo raised by the GOP regarding the Kerry comments did the exact same thing, and not only did not help the GOP, it hurt them. It highlighted the void in the GOP arsenal of real arguments, and reminded the public of the Iraq mess.

If they had something more, they would not have needed to glom onto the Kerry situation, and they would not need to orchestrate the Saddam conviction/sentencing dog and pony show. All of this is obvious to even the dumbest of voters.

[Greybnk48]

34. nope n/t

[Theduckno2]

35. The effects on Iraqi security: yes | U.S. elections ; no

It is interesting that I haven't heard any pundits saying Iraq will be "turning a corner" with the announcement of Saddam's verdict.

The capture of Saddam, ensuing elections and implementation of their Constitution were supposed have the Iraqis "turing the corner" to a brighter, more secure future.

This time all I've heard about is the preparations for the expected mayhem and chaos.

I think the verdict will be a wash in regards to the U.S. elections; some will heartened by this apparent success, but many will remember all the blood and treasure lost for such a small success.

[wildflowergardener]

36. more worried about violence

I'm more worried about violence increasing. I am afraid this attempt to influence our elections by Bush will end up with many more of our soldiers and iraqi's being killed.

Meg

[StellaBlue]

37. It reminds ME that BUSH should ALSO be facing the SAME day in court.

nt

[dailykoff]

38. Only that they're planning on using it for cover

like the phony "values voters" who supposedly flocked to the polls in '04.

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

39. The only thing I fear is for our troops' safety

When the riots start, one way or another.

I hope I'm wrong. I pray I'm wrong.