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Press Briefing by Tony Snow 1/4/07 (Topic: Saddam Execution)
— Friday, January 05, 2007 — Q Back to the Maliki conversation. Although you've told us the President has not seen the video, he has been fully briefed on the nature of the concern, about the taunting, things that were said -- MR. SNOW: Yes. Q Does he believe that the way that was handled is in any way an example of the Maliki government not having control over the institution -- MR. SNOW: No. No, and I think what you're seeing is the Prime Minister asserting control immediately, because he clearly was unhappy with it, as well. And he made it absolutely clear -- the phrase he used, again, I think is -- he said it was pained, the government was pained, and that they were going to punish those responsible. That seems to me to be the reaction of somebody who was surprised by what he saw and unhappy upon seeing it. Q Does the President see that as a setback to the forming of institutions that are necessary -- MR. SNOW: Again, if you take a look at what's been going on, the Prime Minister indicates that there does not seem to have been a rise in acts of violence or other sorts of activities within Iraq as a result of this, but he also understands the importance of reconciliation. And one of the interesting things is this does remove one of the arguments people have made, about what if Saddam comes back. It also creates -- not the video, but the fact that in that part of the world, a tyrant who killed hundreds of thousands with impunity and never was punished, to see a man brought to justice, granted the trial that he would not grant his fellow citizens, given an appeal that nobody ever got, and getting treated -- and being able to have full access to law, and being lawfully executed after legal processes that had passed international muster, that's a powerful signal that the rule of law does apply within Iraq. Q Concerns are not about Saddam's conduct. It's about the carrying out of justice in the final moments -- MR. SNOW: And the point I made yesterday is that there is -- at least among the American press, the fascination with the final moments and the relatively less description of the first 69 years. Q It's not about Saddam. MR. SNOW: There's -- well, no, of course, it's about Saddam. Q It's not about Saddam. It's about the carrying out of justice, and was he subjected to circumstances that are not in line with what the U.S. is hoping Iraq will do in an execution? MR. SNOW: Well, again, look, the Iraqis have made that point, Kelly. How many times do I have to point it out? The Prime Minister is unhappy with it. Q But you resort to talking about Saddam. And our questions are really about the President's view of how this was handled. MR. SNOW: I know. And as I've told you, the President thought it was appropriate to do a review. And the Prime Minister is doing a review. And I think we leave it at that. White House Press Corps | Press Briefing | Tony Snow | News Media | Bush Administration | Iraq
Posted by WhiteHousePressCorps.org @ 12:08 AM
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