So, the former dictator of Iraq was hiding in a “spider hole”, an 8 foot passage leading to a 6 foot long cavity in the courtyard of a mud hut farmhouse.
Spider holes got their name in Vietnam. The Viet Cong used them as hiding places, crouching in clay pots and jumping up to ambush American troops. If the clay pot broke or cracked, the VC was at risk of being bitten by poisonous snakes or spiders.
Saddam is a bad man, no question about it, an evil psychopath who probably got that way as a combination of lousy genes and an abusive childhood. His being on the earth seems like a karmic mistake, and most of us wish him nothing but ill.
Still: this is someone who until a few months ago, lived in almost unimaginable luxury. For whatever reason, nationalism or lack of opportunity, he chose to remain in Iraq, living for a time in impoverished circumstances until his capture this past weekend.
Regardless of motive, I respect the self-discipline and commitment of anyone who would do that.
If that seems incomprehensible, consider this: do you think Young Master Smirk would, out of conviction, hide in a fissure of the earth, risking humiliation and even death? Or would he instead arrogantly taunt his opponent from the safety of an air-conditioned private jet, expecting others to “bring it on”?