This is an American First [The Capture of Saddam]

Happy Saddam Day! | By Lazamataz

[Lazamataz]

Has America ever captured the leader of a foreign country that was our enemy before?

• Revolutionary War: Nope.
• 1812 War with Canada: Nope.
• Spanish/American War: Nope.
• World War One: Nope.
• World War Two, Germany: Nope.
• World War Two, Italy: Nope.
• World War Two, Japan: Close, but I don't think we actually took the Emperor into custody.
• Vietnam War: Nope.

This is an unprecedented event. Our behavior will be scrutinized. I have no doubt we will behave honorably -- it is our way -- but this is a precendent-setting event and will probably be the model for all other countries we invade, should the need arise. That is why we should be very careful how we interrogate Saddam. I initially thought turning him over to Mossad was a good idea. I don't think so any more. We should behave mercifully to our vanquished foe, since he is now impotent and it will reflect well upon us throughout the world.

Definitely, do not turn him over the the Hague, or to Iraq, at least not at first.

I believe GITMO would also be a bad idea. His humilation is complete already. Let's treat him no better and no worse than any American prisoner. At the time it is sensible to dispose of him and exact revenge, simply turn him over to Iraq. They'll bloody him and our hands will be clean.

[BraveMan]

He's dead, Jim.

[xzins]

I was with our spec ops aviation in panama when we captured Manuel Noriega.

He's nameless in some nameless prison someplace.

[ItisaReligionofPeace]

You didn't make it clear which was which. I did my best to help you out in case you were confused.

[Gritty]

Here's one...

Geronimo

[Chad Fairbanks]

I don't buy it - Idi Amin works at the convenience store down the street from my neighborhood. The local liberals love him...

[jwalsh07]

Wring him dry and then give him to the Kurds in Habalja.

[RedBloodedAmerican]

Yea, I guess you did! Not too confused anymore, I must say. :o)

I only did it to give one side a hard time, not to start a (civil) flame war!

Have a good night, nice day to be an American. Osama is next.

[Billthedrill]

It's a little ironic about Tojo - he literally took a dive for the Emperor. Hirohito's fingerprints were all over the war plans despite the subsequent denial, and more than one government member testified first to Tojo's ignorance of the war plans, and then his resistance when finally informed. Like Yamamoto (or so the testimony went) he knew what would happen when the U.S. was attacked.

One good source for this is David Bergamini's Japan's Imperial Conspiracy. This doesn't, of course, exonerate Tojo for the crimes committed during the war, and we might well have swung him anyhows, but it's a really good bet that Tojo thought he was sacrificing his life to take blame for Hirohito, who ended up dying in bed a half-century later. Lots of people still think Hirohito was innocent as the day is long. I'm not one of them.

[Don Corleone]

If the Civil War counts, yes. We did capture Jefferson Davis.

You do mean the "War of Northern Agression" don't you?(/sarcasm)

[ShadowDancer]

See? Told you it wasn't a compound word. You're not a dumbass after all. You're a dumb ass. Guess we told him, huh?

[NeoCaveman]

Hey, wanna dance?

OK. I'll try not to step on your toes too much.

[vanmorrison]

The US did not capture Santa Anna. The Texicans captured him after the Battle of San Jacinto during the War for Texas Independence. The Texicans then created the Republic of Texas, which later entered into the United States.

[Lazamataz]

I'm not counting aboriginal tribesmen. ;^)

[possum]

I thought of that, then rejected it. America was too fractured to be called America at that time. It was two nations: The Union and the Confederacy.

If we were two nations (the USA and the CSA), then Jeff Davis should count. But the US, not suprisingly, didn't treat him as a foreign leader. He was held by the military for awhile, then released to the civil authorities who indicted him for treason (a crime which foreigners obviously can't commit), released him on bail, and eventually null pros'd him (avoiding the rather sticky question of whether he actually was a foreigner when he led the CSA -- a question which would have been decided by a Virginia jury).

More recently, in addition to Noriega, we also captured Karl Doenitz, who replaced Hitler as Chancellor of Germany after Hitler's suicide. He was tried by the allied war crimes tribunal at Nuremburg and spent 10 years in Spandau Prison.

[ppaul]

They're in mourning today.....

They're in mourning today.....

[ItisaReligionofPeace]

Osama was first.

[Lazamataz]

Thanks. I thought I remembered that the Emperor signed off on the plans.

[RedBloodedAmerican]

*whew*!

Thanks, I feel so much better!

[Rebelbase]

Wasn't Santa Anna shagging a peasant girl at San Juancinto?

[Revolting cat!]

Didn't we get Generalissimo Pee Wee Herman?!