A Democrat Party in Baghdad

Remember when former British MP George Galloway testified before the US Senate on his alleged complicity in the UN Oil-for-Food scandal? I recall that Galloway seemed rather hostile and smug toward his mild-mannered inquisitor, Senator Norm Coleman (R-MN). Thinking about all the other occasions when I’ve seen Galloway interact with ideological opponents, I concluded that Galloway is generally an unpleasant person, that his interaction with Coleman was just “Gorgeous” George being himself.

Then again, Galloway’s smugness might have been due to his knowledge of this:

Federal prosecutors say Saddam Hussein’s intelligence agency secretly financed a trip to Iraq for three U.S. lawmakers during the run-up to the U.S.-led invasion.

An indictment in Detroit accuses Muthanna Al-Hanooti of arranging for three members of Congress to travel to Iraq in October 2002 at the behest of Saddam’s regime. Prosecutors say Iraqi intelligence officials paid for the trip through an intermediary.

The lawmakers are not mentioned but the dates correspond to a trip by Democratic Reps. Jim McDermott of Washington, David Bonior of Michigan and Mike Thompson of California. There was no indication the three lawmakers knew the trip was underwritten by Saddam.

Al-Hanooti--a former CAIR official--has also been charged with being a spy for Saddam's Iraq.

Ed Morrissey finds out from the Weekly Standard that the three representatives even broadcasted from Baghdad—from right in Saddam’s lap basically—calling President Bush a liar.

[ABC's "This Week" host] George Stephanopoulos asked McDermott about his recent comment that “the president of the United States will lie to the American people in order to get us into this war.”

McDermott didn’t backpedal at all: “I believe that sometimes they give out misinformation. . . . It would not surprise me if they came out with some information that is not provable, and they, they shift it. First they said it was al-Qaeda, then they said it was weapons of mass destruction. Now they’re going back to and saying it’s al Qaeda again.” When Stephanopoulos pressed McDermott about whether he had any evidence that Bush had lied, the congressman replied, “I think the president would mislead the American people.”

Word and deed allegedly funded by the Butcher of Baghdad.

No wonder George G. smirked his way through the entire senate proceeding back in 2005. I say that he knew that some of “ours” were no better than he is.

NOT REALLY RELATED: Detroit is just a hotbed of perfidy, ain't it? No pun intended.

Comments

[peter]

George Galloway might well be smug and deeply unpleasant, but he still is an MP. I'm sure you know this really, but just slipped up.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Galloway

[baldilocks]

Thanks for the info. And if I had known this, I wouldn't have used the word 'former.' I was think about the fact that he had been booted from his party. Not all of us Yanks are totally up to speed on how these parliamentary situations work. Again, thanks.