No big surprises

Well, from what I've seen so far, it looks like everything went just about as expected in the first day of the reconvened Saddam Hussein trial.

Of course, you've got Saddam "trying to take command of the courtroom and angrily complaining about being shackled and mistreated by 'occupiers and invaders.'" Too bad. So sad.

Saddam later lapsed into that most endearing trait of megalomaniacs, rappers, and Bob Dole:

"How can a defendant defend himself if his pen was taken? Saddam Hussein's pen and papers were taken. I don't mean a white paper. There are papers downstairs that include my remarks in which I express my opinion," he said.

I mean, of course, the whole talking about yourself in the third person thing, not losing his pen. Bob Dole always knows where his pen is, you know?

Former Attorney General and current dictator-fellating whackjob scumbag Ramsey Clark was on hand to defend Saddam and sound like a dipshit. Viz:

Clark and others argue that a fair trial is impossible in Iraq because of the insurgency and because the country is effectively under foreign military occupation. U.S. and Iraqi officials insist the trial will conform to international standards. [emphasis mine]

Um, two words, buddy: Nurmeberg Trials. They even made a movie about them, and it won some awards. I don't know if they've got a Blockbuster Video anywhere in Baghdad, but I bet you can scrounge up a copy somewhere.

Dickhead.