Brecher is right about one thing, all his self-indulgent rhetoric notwithstanding.
Saddam was a badass. Homer would have showered him with praises. He was a ruthless, effective killer who died while taunting his enemies.
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Reading Brecher requires a good deal of filtration to remove the adolescent, faux tough guy I-don't-give-a-fuckism and get to the point (a similar noise to signal ratio problem marred his essentially solid analysis of Hizbollah's battlefield effectiveness).
And the point is precisely what you say Chris: the manner of Saddam's death completes the construction of the Hussein legend. Uday and Qusay's 2003 death -- firing upon US forces in a blaze of Scarface-esque glory -- was the foundation. Their father's defiance as he faced the gallows finishes the job.
Eventually, the crimes will fade into the background (indeed, hasn't this already happened?) while the defiance grows in importance.
.d.