First of all, I didn't call Saddam heroic. I agree he is a twisted and evil man, but I said that his idea to stand against the ridiculous Iraqi court was justified.

As for Weasel, what you can ask for is not to be tortured, to have a trial by your peers free of political influence, and to give some security to your lawyers so they don't get shot.

"In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defense."
The Sixth Amendment. While it might not apply in Iraq, I'd like to think that it sets an example for all judicial systems.

Hey Roy Karrde, fellow Star Trek fan, I see? Not exactly my favorite Sisko quote, although The Maquis was a great two part episode. However, I wasn't a big fan of DS9 in general, you know why? It diverged from the ideals of Star Trek and of Gene Roddenberry in order to get good ratings, because Star Trek was about idealism and nowadays idealism doesn't sell. Here's two better quotes from the original series episodes A Taste of Armageddon and The Ultimate Computer:
"[War] is instinctive. But the instinct can be fought. We're human beings with the blood of a million savage years on our hands! But we can stop it. We can admit that we're killers ... but we're not going to kill today. That's all it takes! Knowing that we're not going to kill today!"
"Compassion -- that's the one thing no machine ever had. Maybe it's the one thing that keeps men ahead of them."
It's easy to make excuses, but it takes true strength of spirit to be the better man and say that "You have wronged me horribly, but I will have mercy on you because I am a better human being"

And such is the beauty of International Standards: every nation is held to them. There is no hypocrisy, no double standard, either you meet them or you don't. So do you believe that the genocide in Darfur is fine because there's a different "situation" in Sudan than say the United States? Are you saying it is alright for China to have forced labor camps and execute thousands of people per year because they're in a "different situation"? Is it alright for people to be thrown in prison for peacefully protesting their government's actions in Belarus and Turkmenistan because it's a "different situation"? Some things deserve to be put in black and white, and the right to a fair trial is one of them.

True Saddam would have been found guilty even if the trial held up to international standards, but that is beside the point. The point is that he was tortured, denied right to legal counsel, etc. No matter how you look at it, that is WRONG. Every international standard (i.e. Geneva Conventions), the U.S. Bill of Rights (Fifth and Sixth Amendments), etc. are all very clear about this; no harm without due process of law and adequate trials, regardless of the crime.

"But those that hate Saddam and want to see his rotting carcus dangle from a three foot long rope. Far, FAR out weigh those that want to kill Americans"
I don't know about that man; http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exer...0BC5FCDE8F.htm
Sunni Muslims seem to miss ruling Iraq and not having people being shot in the streets.