I stayed late watching some of the trial of Saddam. I can't believe this American managed spectacle. The US wants to use it for their propaganda, but it always backfires. Just like Hurra TV. Every footage of the trial helps the propaganda of Saddam and his supporters. He really runs the court; the judge (the new one) may be worse than the previous one. Yesterday, he strongly and forcefully lectured and hectored the judge, who just looked at him sheepishly. At that point, when Saddam was complaining about the discomfort from his shackles, the judge said that he would talk to the guards. Saddam started yelling at him, that he should order the guards, and not talk to them, and that he represents sovereign Iraq, and that the guards represent the American conquerors. At that point, the transmission ended. But it was too late. Saddam had his moment. I was most disturbed and repulsed at the sight of Ramsey Clark in the court room. Yesterday, he was officially approved as Saddam's lawyer. I know that some leftists out there support Clark. I disagree strongly. The left should dissociate itself from Clark. This is a man who never decided to take the case of any of the hundreds of thousands of Saddam's victims. When Clark was meeting with Saddam during his brutal rule, and saluting his leadership, did he suggest to defend one of Saddam's victims? This is a man who never met a dictator that he did not like if the dictator was opposed to US foreign policy. In that sense, Clark is not qualitatively different from George W. Bush. They both like their dictators; Bush likes dictators who are aligned with US policy, while Clark likes dictators who are opposed to US policy. They both employ (im)moral standards on human rights and democracy.