Leading by example

Mere days after the handover of Iraqi sovereignty, Saddam Hussein was brought before an Iraqi judge today to hear charges being brought against him: you know standard fare for dictators like war crimes and genocide. On the flipside, it took over two years for the Supreme Court to rule that Guantanamo Bay detainees (or "enemy combatants") are entitled to legal representation along with some access to the courts. That's right, folks, democracy is all about testing how far you can abuse the system until the checks and balances kick in.

For his part Saddam was brought into the court looking like a college professor about to lose tenure over some indiscretion as opposed to the wandering homeless look he assumed in his now famous "spider hole." Saddam also defiantly claimed to still be president of Iraq. Once shown the reports of the chaos in his former dictatorship, Saddam is reported to have said, "Never mind, let the US keep it. Any other countries in need of a President? I have plenty of experience."

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