[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.