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Originally Posted by _Kila_
he was still a human being and acted as 90% of people would act if they were in his position.
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I'm not too sure about this. If you mean would act the same as he did if they had exactly the same upbringing of him, exactly the same life experiences and maybe even his DNA then sure, maybe - but that's a bit of a tautology. I'm pretty sure that most people wouldn't have been so cruel or murderous - and in fact, I doubt most people would have got into the position he was in - getting into power requires certain talents most don't possess.
This is not to say he was some kind of monster - indeed on reading how he acted during his execution I actually had a mild respect for Saddam, but that doesn't mean much. No, he wasn't some blood drinking maniac (at least, afaik) but so what? We don't have to be consumed with hate or rage in order to think executing someone has some utility.
There is a curious logic among some (like the British government) who will happily lock people in a room until they die, put them in a prison where they will be murdered by their fellow prisoners or bomb targets killing dozens of civilians at a time and think this is fine and dandy. But these same people are horrified by pulling the trigger themselves up close and personal. It strikes me as curiously gutless. Of course, there are arguments like Tomkat's that we should want him to suffer more by keeping him alive, but I'm not a fan of such thinking.