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Of course the gov't is not to be trusted, however, in the absence of proof their assertions must be given the benefit of the doubt. To do otherwise is to court true paranoia.
Do I think that they have the real Saddam Hussein? I have to reserve judgement for about a week while they put together some confirmation and the press has had a chance to pick it to pieces.
Given the kid glove treatment the mainstream press has been giving the Bush Bund since 9/11, I will lend much more creedence to the far left media on this topic than I would otherwise, and given the worshipful cover the conservative media has given Governor Bush, I will not consider them purveyors of journalism in this matter.
I do agree that this capture comes at a convenient time for the current administration. I think it is possible that Hussein's whereabouts may have been quite well known for a while now, and that his capture may have been stage managed. However, that this happened late on a Friday tends to argue against media manipulation. Karl Rove is too slick a customer to not have this be the first thing heard on a Monday morning if he had his way.
The timing of any WMDs found or the capture of Bin Laden will definitely factor into my descision to believe or doubt this.
Let's also see how long it takes Al-Jazeera to put a Saddam Hussein on the air. I wouldn't believe that either, but the speed with which they do it will say something about the likelihood of the one currently in custody being the genuine article.
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