Some quick thoughts about the impending execution of Saddam Hussein.

Why the rush to hang him this weekend?

Everything Bu$hCo does, whether policy, initiative, public statement, or action, has only one goal: the immediate domestic political impact of the event. There are no sage, long-term projects in that regard; everything is calculated on the short-term impact on one or two news cycles. Strategic thinking is apparently for weaklings like Democrats, Liberals and Progressives.

It seems to me that there is great political advantage in having Saddam capped about two days before Mr Bu$h’s next State of the Union address in Congress. This would enable him to garner the mandatory sycophantic applause as he repeats again and again that Iraq is obviously a far better place now, and we’re winning, we’re really winning. He can intersperse all these references with the usual vague posturings of impending nuclear catastrophe because Iran insists on determining its own future and also to sell its oil in Euros rather than dollars.

Mr Bu$h will also be able to brag about the Great Surge Forward.* We’re going to see a brigade of the 82nd Airborne Division moved out to Kuwait within the next few weeks, in preparation for reinforcement, escalation, sending more troops to train the Iraqis, strengthening the border against the alleged Iranian incursions, or whatever the lie du jour is next month. More troops will follow just as soon as they can be scrounged up.

Imagine the public relations snap of a one-two-three combination punch: Saddam hung, lots of goodilicious, lip-smacking, smirking and jaw-grinding as Mr Bu$h finally, irretrievably, lays down the Saddam club with which he has beaten the world for six years. Followed up with a the mandatory mention of the brave sacrifices of troops being sent back into the maw for a third or even a fourth tour, which always gets applause.

That could lead to the war cries of “Onward to Iran!” phase of the SOTU as he can wave the tieless image of a President Ahmandinejad cooking up nuclear warheads in the back of the mosque in downtown Teheran. It sounds like a natural to me, and will play well among the Likudnik operatives who have hijacked our foreign policy.

So why give up this golden opportunity so soon? Is he really afraid that the Sunnis will spring Saddam from the slammer? There seems to be a lot of that going on in Iraq and I suppose it’s not beyond imagination that there could be plans to do this.

Is he really such a frightened little man that he has to have this guy killed at once? Or is this imperative for immediate execution a result of all the bad press he’s gotten in the last month?

It’s true he’ll see an amazing bounce in his polls – probably two or three per cent, lasting for three or maybe even four days. In the end, that may be reason enough for this undue haste.

* Tip of the too small Kevlar helmet to the Great Helmsman, Mao Dze-dung, who used to hold the international trademark on this phrase.