The atrocities of the Hussein family are so ubiquitous that even Sports Illustrated can do war coverage. Saddam's son Uday tortures athletes who don't perform well. (Like that's going to make them do better next time. The ones who survive, that is.)

The International Olympic Committee has known about Uday for years but avoids the issue.

In February the IOC agreed to investigate Uday's behavior. As of last week, however, none of the athletes who had given sworn statements for the INDICT complaint had been contacted by the IOC. "[IOC leaders] have tried to call the timing of our complaint suspicious and suggest it is part of an anti-Saddam agenda . . . . It almost seems [that they're thinking] that if they wait long enough, the U.S. will invade and they won't have to deal with this issue."

. . . IOC member Richard Pound says that it is "important to remember these are just allegations, and you have to make sure this is not all tied to the Iraq-U.S. dispute, that we are not being used for propaganda. You just never know."

I have only two words: Munich massacre.

Interesting tidbit: one factor in leaving Saddam in power in 1991 was that Uday would have succeeded him.

"Saddam is brutal and occasionally predictable," a senior U.S. State Department official told SI. "Uday is brutal and unpredictable." . . . There was a lot of unease, and there was no plan for what would come after Saddam. The possibility that it could have been one of his sons was unacceptable."

Posted By Judith (Kesher Talk) at March 24, 2003 06:18 PM