POOR EXECUTION MAKES HUSSEIN MARTYR

Public opinion shows that the ruthless and inept execution of Saddam Hussein has backfired on the American and Iraqi governments. In the week since the hanging, Hussein’s image in the Arab world—previously that of a convicted dictator—has undergone a resurgence of admiration and awe. He has emerged as a Sunni Arab hero who stood calm and composed as his executioners tormented and abused him. “No one will ever forget the way in which Saddam was executed,” President Mubarek of Egypt remarked. “They turned him into a martyr. If Bush were smart, he would consider the same exit strategy for himself.”