After presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump made comments at a rally last night (Tuesday) suggesting Saddam Hussein, while a "really bad guy", had the redeeming quality of being appropriately tough on terrorism, representatives of the Hilary Clinton campaign wasted no time in seizing upon the remarks, saying that this is yet another example of Trump's authoritarian tendencies.
"Trump's praise for brutal strongmen seemingly knows no bounds," senior Clinton campaign adviser Jake Sullivan said.
"Trump yet again lauded Saddam Hussein as a great killer of terrorists, noting with approval that he never bothered to read anyone their rights," Sullivan said in a statement.
As Sullivan also noted, Trump has praised North Korea's Kim Jong Un and Russia's Vladimir Putin in the past. Putin, especially, seems to have earned the Republican candidate's approval, having said that Trump is a "genius".
The Clinton campaign adviser then moved to dispel the notion that Hussein was a net force against terrorism during his reign, especially when it comes to terrorism directed against Israel.
"In reality, Hussein's regime was a sponsor of terrorism, one that paid families of suicide bombers who attacked Israelis, among other crimes," he said. "Trump's cavalier compliments for brutal dictators, and the twisted lessons he seems to have learned from their history, again demonstrate how dangerous he would be as commander-in-chief and how unworthy he is of the office he seeks."