Death of a tyrant

Well, it finally happened. Saddam Hussein al-Tikriti has been hanged on the charge of crimes against humanity.
A despot who ruled for decades, his death will probably the last noteworthy of 2006, coming on the morning of Saturday, 30 December. The last few hours were confusing for the world, his location seeming to alternate between Iraqi and American custody.
By law, his death had to come within 30 days of an unsuccessful appeal. However, it seems to me to be a bit rushed - perhaps a desperate US attempt to salvage a result by the end of this year.
Whether or not his death will change Iraq is yet to be seen, but it probably won't: the conflict now is about far more than him. Whether or not his execution was justified is also up to debate - but whatever the argument, he still had to be punished for what he did.