Saddam Hussein's Gun - Treasured By Bush - To Go On Display

by alia_d | July 6, 2009 at 11:28 am

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George W. Bush's legacy may be defined by a gun. Specifically, a gun that once belonged to Saddam Hussein. Saddam Hussein's gun is likely one of the objects that will go on display in the library for George W. Bush at the Southern Methodist University in Dallas when the library opens in 2013.

For Bush, who treasures Saddam Hussein's gun, the object is the symbol of a turning point in the Iraq War. Of the 40,000 artifacts and gifts Bush collected during his presidency, Saddam Hussein's gun is one of his favorites. During his presidency, Bush kept Saddam Hussein's pistol in a mounted glass case and often showed it off to guests.

The gun, a 9 millimeter Glock 18C, was found in the spider hole where the Iraqi leader was captured in December 2003 by Delta Force soldiers, four of whom later presented the pistol to Mr. Bush.

The importance Bush places on the pistol also provides an interesting perspective from which to analyze his psyche.

Douglas Brinkley, an author and history professor at Rice University, said the pistol opened a psychological window into Mr. Bush’s view of his presidency.

“It represents this Texas notion of the white hats taking out the black hats and keeping the trophy,” Mr. Brinkley said. “It’s a True West magazine kind of pulp western mentality. For President Bush, this pistol represents his greatest moment of triumph, like the F.B.I. keeping Dillinger’s gun. He wants people generations from now to see the gun and say, ‘He got the bad guy.’ ”

The moment when Saddam Hussein's gun was captured, however, is not a heroic or impressive one.

Hussein was found with the pistol as he crouched on all fours in his cave. But he offered no resistance to the Delta Forces and when they came to confiscate his gun they found that it was unloaded.

So, a legacy defined by unloaded gun? Appropriate or off-base?

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