SECRETARY OF STATE CONDOLEEZA RICE was in a meeting in Egypt when she was told the details of the hanging of two close associates of Saddam Hussein. Apparently there was no taunting of the condemned men, no pictures taken with cell phones, no unseemly behavior by any of the persons watching the execution; but Secretary Rice still was not pleased. It was reported that in the process of hanging the men, one of them was decapitated by the fall from the gallows. She said she was disappointed that the executions had not been done in a dignified way. President Bush made the same observation earlier when he heard that the execution of Saddam Hussein had been filmed and that there had been taunts by some of the guards who were witnesses. He also said he was disappointed that Saddam’s execution lacked dignity.

Do these people listen to themselves talk? How is a hanging a dignified affair? What about Abu Ghraib? ...and Guantanamo? What about the agonizing deaths of 3000 American soldiers and the deaths of innocent Iraqi civilians? Where is dignity for my country in this whole sorry mess? Am I supposed to find it in the flag-draped coffins of our soldiers being returned to their families? Am I supposed to see it in this pathetic President weeping as he presents the Metal of Freedom to the parents of a slain war hero? MERCY: DAVID SPARETH SAUL'S LIFE
The painting by Richard Dadd (British, 1817-1886), is in the collection of the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles. Dadd was permanently institutionalized after killing his father in 1843. He spent his life in prison painting works which addressed the subject of his delusional illness. Based on a Biblical story, "Mercy" represents the young King David rejecting an opportunity to assassinate his enemy Saul. King David's restraint was a virtue Dadd hoped to cultivate as an antidote to his own murderous compulsions.

(This painting should be seen larger. You can always click on an image in this BLOG to enlarge it.)