The question was raised in the August 9th edition of the FORWARD on the front page and finishes with a smiling picture of a possible future king on page 8. The FORWARD once was printed in Yiddish and very little English. Today it is published in English with only a little Yiddish in a small interior page box where diehards can enjoy what was once a bright and dynamic language spelled in Hebrew characters.  Oh, yes, the question: Should we elect a king as ruler of Iraq? Is there a conflict in ideology here?

Jordan has a king named Abdullah, son of Hussein of the Hashemite clan.  Hussein’s brother, the former crown prince of Jordan, Hassan, was “pushed aside” in favor of the present king, Abdullah.  This state of affairs has a potential king waiting for a throne. Since that time we are witnessing agitation to remove a non-king from his throne in Iraq.  If Saddam Hussein, of the Sunni Tikrit Clan was toppled then there would be a vacuum that an almost king could fill – particularly if it is remembered that at one time, before 1958, the Hashemites ruled Iraq. The Hashemites are descended from both Mohammad and Mohammad’s uncle, Ali. This is interesting because if Hassan, a recognized Muslim figure, were backed and democratic elections ignored for the time being differences between the two main branches of Islam would not be erased but eased with this as a solution.

In effect, the United States without any backing anywhere in the world except, perhaps, some Islamic states, could elect Hassan as king and ruler of Iraq. This is a solution in wait of adoption as the civilians in control of the American government make military plans to topple Saddam Hussein, perhaps using the same handy method that made Osama bin Laden disappear.

All of this is historically interesting and an anomaly in the year 2002.  One reason is that democracy is essentially a messy affair.  It cannot be controlled.  The voters cannot all be bought nor can they be expected to swallow all the lies they are told just to place one contender in the top job. And, too, different constituencies vying for leadership or coalition in order to bring about an orderly transfer of power must be consulted.

Of old, the best way to insure that transfer of power, was to have someone born in the last king’s bed become the new king. The best way to insure that the new king would take the throne was to massacre all contending bastards or legitimate children who might contend for that position. Electing a royal as the head of a democratic government is not impossible.  It is improbable, but not impossible for the United States to install this former Crown Prince as King of a country that shed monarchy for dictatorship and aggression almost a half century ago.  Saddam Hussein has to go and most certainly will but the United States should think carefully before it becomes a king-maker.