Just One Question

Is killing Saddam going to be good for America? Explain:

Q And there are some threats from Saddam's Baath party over in Iraq, related to Saddam's execution. Would Saddam's execution in any way complicate President Bush's formulation of the new Iraq policy, because if it leads to more violence or anything along those lines --

MR. STANZEL: Well, I think, Toby, the enemy has always used just about any excuse they could find to foment violence, and that is not new. As we said yesterday, the Iraqis deserve praise for continuing to utilize the institutions of democracy to administer and pursue justice.

But in terms of potential violence resulting from the carrying out of that justice, certainly that's something that the multinational forces are aware of and Iraqi forces are certainly aware of. So we've seen in the past that the enemies have worked to use any excuse to foment violence and that's something that we're monitoring, for sure.

Q So does that mean that you're expecting some -- you're anticipating, or the administration is anticipating some sort of breakout of violence as a result of the execution?

MR. STANZEL: I think we're always aware of the situation and we're always knowledgeable that terrorists and former Saddamists have used various excuses to foment violence, and certainly the goal of the multinational forces, the goal of the Iraqi security forces is to provide security for the Iraqi people, and they will do that going forward.

Q Let me follow up, then. Has the military made any preparations for anticipated violence --

MR. STANZEL: I'd refer you to the multinational forces in Iraq, in terms of any preparations that they may be making. But like I said, the enemies of freedom and the enemies of the institutions of democracy have used excuses before, and conversely, have not needed excuses to attack. So the security situation is something that is an ongoing concern in Iraq.