Saddam Meets his Match in Judge

From FoxNews, the new judge in Saddam's trial, Raouf Abdel-Rahmanhas, started out with a bang, openly challenging the former dictator, tossing out a defense lawyer, and challenging the entire legal defense team.

Abdel-Rahman obviously came into the session aiming to impose control on a trial that has been plagued by delays and frequent outbursts by Saddam and Ibrahim, who is Saddam's half-brother and former intelligence chief.

He began the proceedings with a show of authority, shouting at one defense lawyer for interrupting him and stressing in an opening statement that "political speeches" were not allowed and "if any defendant crosses the lines, he will be taken out of the room and his trial will be carried out with his absence."

Ibrahim stood up, demanded to be allowed to speak and said, "Circumstances have forced us to deal with each other here, in spite of my belief that this tribunal is illegitimate, the daughter of a whore."

The judge ordered him to sit down, shouting, "One more word and I'm throwing you out." When Ibrahim refused to sit, two burly guards grabbed him by the arms and dragged him out of the court.

As they scuffled, Saddam stood and shouted, "Down with the traitors. Down with America." Defense lawyers began shouting as well. "Is this a street demonstration, are you lawyers?" Abdel-Rahman barked at them.

It is time for this trial to get moving. The Iraqi people are still living under the shadow of Saddam, and many still fear his return to power while others refuse to give up their terrorist activity until he is completely gone (meaning dead for you non-death-penalty believers.)

Democracy will be a slowly developing process in Iraq. It will take true Iraqi patriots like Abdel-Rahman to move Iraq into a modern non-terrorist nation. He might very well sacrifice his life to do this for his country. All the heroes in Iraq aren't American.