Those that live by the sword die by the sword.
Such was the life of Saddam Hussein.
Military Strongman, Dictator, Molder and Shaper of Iraq.
Saddam has now been handed over to the pages of history.
Whether he is viewed as a criminal or a saint will depend on who is writing the story.
Like most dictators Saddam relied on fear to maintain his rule.
This required a network of secret police, purges, and creating an environment of fear.
In order to achieve this every Iraqi was aware that in Iraq Saddam had the power over life and death.
History has had many dictators, some viewed as evil - Hitler, some viewed with fear - Genghis Khan and some honored for their greatness - Alexander the Great, yet all used brutal force to achieve their goals.
This reign of his terror has finished.
However Iraq now is not free.
It now lives under the fear of the bomb, mass civil disturbance and potential civil war, daily death.
Saddam has now paid a price for the thousands and tens of thousands of deaths at his hand.
Unfortunately his legacy will the Iraq will continue to suffer for years to come.
There is a lesson for every future political theorist.
Be careful with any relationship with the United States.
Once considered a staunch ally of the US, he betrayed that relationship with the invasion of Kuwait.
Having been defeated convincingly in the first gulf war he continued to rule Iraq but had lost his power over the region.
Saddam should be remembered as a clever man who achieved power through a combination of that intelligence with brutal force.
He was also smart enough to know that the hangman's rope awaited him and the game was up once the U.
S.
invaded.
Like Herman Gorring he played his part to the end, requested to die via a firing squad - as per their military backgrounds, instead he was hung like a criminal being unable to take another route like Gorring chose.
To those to disapprove of the death penalty.
Wake up to yourself.
History throws up people who are so evil and violent and their death is a mandatory necessity, to leave such people alive invites ongoing problems and further violence and death.
Once again "Those that live by the sword die by the sword.
"