Saddam Hussein Sentenced To Death

The verdict is in- the Iraqi High Tribunal has sentenced Hussein to death by hanging-

Saddam Hussein was convicted and sentenced Sunday to hang for crimes against humanity in the 1982 killings of 148 people in a single Shiite town, as the ousted leader, trembling and defiant, shouted "God is great!"

As he, his half brother and another senior official in his regime were convicted and sentenced to death by the Iraqi High Tribunal, Saddam yelled out, "Long live the people and death to their enemies. Long live the glorious nation, and death to its enemies!" Later, his lawyer said the former dictator had called on Iraqis to reject sectarian violence and refrain from revenge against U.S. forces...

...Some feared the court decision could exacerbate the sectarian violence that has pushed the country to the brink of civil war, after a trial that stretched over nine months in 39 sessions and ended nearly 3 1/2 months ago. The verdict came two days before midterm elections in the United States widely seen as a referendum on the Bush administration's policy in Iraq. U.S. and Iraqi officials have denied the timing was deliberate...

Iraq remains locked down, with some celebrating, while violence breaks out elsewhere.

I am choosing to ignore media coverage of the aftermath (beyond what I saw this morning, which was actually pretty decent coverage, though ignoring some inconvenient facts), because I doubt anyone will enjoy watching embattled incumbents rushing to the cameras to attempt to use this for political gain. Will it change U.S. voters' minds? I personally think people are too cynical now for this and are seeing the bigger picture.

UPDATE: New questions pop up about the timing of this verdict.

[Time magazine: Saddam is Sentenced to Death, and Iraq Shrugs-
The verdict against the former dictator, which the U.S. originally hoped would help the country exorcise its demons, won't make a difference to Iraqis' violence-filled lives]