Not "Saddamites"?

In every war, the bad guys need a nickname. Nick, the Ranting Rationalist, offers this modest proposal.

UPDATE: BlogSpot’s archives are — surprise! — completely hosed. So here’s what Nick had to say:

Military historians will tell you that most armies come up with degrading (and often humourous) nicknames in order to dehumanize the enemy. It’s much easier to turn men into killing machines if they think they’re shooting at caricatures rather than real human beings. Here is a partial list of the nicknames from US war history:

Revolutionary War- Redcoats
Civil War- Yankees and Rebs
WWII- Japs, Tojos, Nips, Jerries
Cold War- Reds, Russkies
Vietnam- Charlie, Gooks
Somalia- Skinnies

So, the question at hand is, What to call the Baathist Iraqis? Well, the one physical trait I seem to always notice is the absurd, oversized moustaches a la Saddam Hussein himself. Therefore, I officially nominate “STACHIES” (pronounced stash-ees) as our dehumanizing, cartoonish nickname for the enemy. Pass it on.

Consider it passed, Nick.