Hitchens on the Hanging of Hussein

Christopher Hitchens, I believe, is anti death penalty in his beliefs but he makes the case that Saddam Hussein had to be killed.

This, in essence, also was the psychological underlay of the Nuremburg war crimes trials: The beasts had to die, and to be seen to have died. One could not bear to live on the same planet as them, and the memory of their victims would be profaned if they were long outlived by their murderers.

Sometimes Hitchens can be difficult to read but he makes you think and maybe re-think your own positions. That's the mark of a good writer.