Like I noted a few days ago, the images of Saddam Hussein’s effigy being dragged around, burned, decapitated, and mutilated is very powerful stuff. I was fortunate enough to be able to witness on live television Iraqis putting that well-intended rope around the neck of the large statue of Saddam today in downtown Baghdad. I couldn’t help but notice also that:
1. Some Marine thought it might be cool to drape an American flag over his head. This complex act of symbolism, while understandable in the moment, will not endear the Arab public to our ways of doing things.
2. The entire square was filled with Iraqi men – no women and no children. I’m not sure what this means but it’s evident that the war for freedom in Iraq is going to have to take many fronts.
3. It’s quite miraculous that after three (albeit long) weeks, the regime has toppled, more or less, and citizens are not afraid to publicly pound away at a statue of Saddam Hussein.