    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2006, Book II)]
    [December 29, 2006]
    [Page 2226]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Statement on the Death of Former President Saddam Hussein of Iraq
    December 29, 2006

        Today Saddam Hussein was executed after receiving a fair trial, the
    kind of justice he denied the victims of his brutal regime.
        Fair trials were unimaginable under Saddam Hussein's tyrannical
    rule. It is a testament to the Iraqi people's resolve to move forward
    after decades of oppression that, despite his terrible crimes against
    his own people, Saddam Hussein received a fair trial. This would not
    have been possible without the Iraqi people's determination to create a
    society governed by the rule of law.
        Saddam Hussein's execution comes at the end of a difficult year for
    the Iraqi people and for our troops. Bringing Saddam Hussein to justice
    will not end the violence in Iraq, but it is an important milestone on
    Iraq's course to becoming a democracy that can govern, sustain, and
    defend itself and be an ally in the war on terror.
        We are reminded today of how far the Iraqi people have come since
    the end of Saddam Hussein's rule and that the progress they have made
    would not have been possible without the continued service and sacrifice
    of our men and women in uniform.
        Many difficult choices and further sacrifices lie ahead. Yet the
    safety and security of the American people require that we not relent in
    ensuring that Iraq's young democracy continues to progress.