Bush has a good point, regarding the indignation over the photo of Saddam in his underwear.

“I don’t think a photo inspires murderers. I think they are inspired by an ideology that is so barbaric and backwards that it is hard for many in the western world to comprehend how they think.”

Saddam’s going to sue? I’m speechless.

UPDATE: John Hinderaker isn’t crying for Saddam.

Whatever. Saddam used to have his minions make videos when they would torture, rape and murder his political opponents (or anyone else who happened to run afoul of the ruling gang of criminals). Saddam and his cohorts would watch these videos for fun. (Hitler did the same thing, by the way–one of the rare Hitler analogies that is actually justified.) So do I have a lot of sympathy because Saddam got photographed in his underwear, folding a pair of slacks in what looks, not like a jail cell, but like a hotel room? Um, no. I don’t.

And he makes a great observation here.

Al Jazeera’s reaction was puzzling, to say the least:

Jihad Ballout, a spokesman for the Al-Jazeera network, said his network did not show the pictures because it had ethical and professional concerns.

“The photo is demeaning to Iraqis,” he said, adding that “from the professional side, it is not news.”

It’s nice to know that Al Jazeera has “ethical and professional concerns.” I hadn’t noticed that before, especially when they were showing videos of Westerners having their heads cut off, or photos of captured and dead American soldiers.

Michael Cat:

But to allow these pictures to be taken in the first place let alone leaked to public takes our moral authorithy down a level. These pictures were unnecesary and are PR nightmare for the U.S.

Poynter:

What’s laughable is not the former dictator’s skivvies, but military leaders’ naivety about the media world we now live in. They don’t have to like it, of course, but in a world of small digital cameras, photo cell phones, e-mail, “citizen journalists,” and several million blogs, for any organization to think that they can control photos like this is absurd. The Pentagon should have learned that lesson when it tried and failed to prevent publication of photos of flag-draped caskets of dead American soldiers coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Right in Texas isn’t too sympathetic either:

I guess we have invaded his privacy- poor guy.

Kevin made me chuckle with this (Will Franklin appreciated it too)…

Somewhere Michael Isikoff is breathing a sigh of relief…

Malachy Joyce has another suggestion:

So, I say release Saddam immediately into the state of Texas, USA. After all, there is plenty of oil in Texas. The shape of the Texas looks like Iraq and the people there will be very interested to meet him.

Michelle Malkin doesn’t feel bad for him either.

The terribly abused tyrant gets hair dye, example, “to keep his mane youthful-looking.”

He gets three squares a day, a fluffy pillow, and full-air conditioning. Plus, “He can exercise in a 4,300-square-foot back yard while razor wire keeps out would-be attackers. He tends a small garden in a nearby courtyard.”