"Presented by the troops"
For everyone getting their pants in a wad about GWB having or doing anything even vaguely positive ...
The pistola was mounted and presented to him by the troopers involved, in the same manner that the swords or flags of defeated foes were used as symbols of victory for millenia past.
I don't think of it as his personal war trophy, anymore than I think of the U-boat, the U-505 in the Museum of Science and Industry or the Me 109 in the Air and Space museum, as FDR's personal trophies. It probably will wind up in the Smithsonian, or more likely the real life equivalent of that warehouse where they stored the Ark of the Covenant at the end of Raiders.
If our guys hadn't of found and captured Saddam alive we would be hearing from the media and the Democrats, via the NY Times and W Post, daily about how without Saddam we would never hold the country. The troopers decided to offer it to the CiC as a token of their success.
I just hope they have a new trophy next to it soon, in the form of Osama's do-rag, with or without the enclosed head.
As for the reactions of the rest of the world.
Let's see, the Middle East is already killing our civilians while they dance in the streets and sawing the heads off innocent civilians and reporters. It might be a real challenge to have them hate us any more than they already do, huh?
It's a symbol of a deposed, vicious dictator and, aside from some folks over at DU and Moveon.org, I haven't heard anyone say they would be better off with him still in power.
Now, if anyone still feels that this little trophy is inappropriate, please write your letters to the troops that captured Saddam and let them know how wrong they were to celebrate his capture and present their CiC with a small trophy of their work.
But that's just my opinion again.
