It must be hard being morally superior to everyone. There are just so many rules to remember. The Independent has weighed in on the new "Saddam going into exile" trial balloon which is floating around, and has judged it to be wanting.
Indeed, it is worth pointing out that the West should not be in the business, even as a tactical game, of offering a butcher such as Saddam any suggestion of immunity from prosecution for his crimes – such as the gassing of Kurds and the torture of opponents that we have made the basis for war. Cosy amnesties for murderers are not what we should be about.Well, that sounds reasonable. Who could disagree with that? So what does the Independent propose? To quote the headline, "Brutal dictators should be prosecuted." He's a brutal dictator -- so brutal that he should never be granted amnesty. But force shouldn't be used to remove him from power. He should be "prosecuted." How exactly that can happen without using force to arrest him, the Independent doesn't say. So what should be done about Saddam Hussein? Nothing. The Independent thinks Bush has an "obsession" with Saddam Hussein, when he should be focusing on the war on terror. As if they were different things.
In short, the moral position is to firmly stand up and say that nobody should do anything about Saddam Hussein, because he's evil.