I was listening to the radio – a Clear Channel station, but one that broadcasts Randi Rhodes – and was treated to a special FOX news radio feed from whatever lunatic asylum they come from.

There were short interview cuts with a few people and they contained the sort of propaganda one expects from Fox News.

Jeff Birnbaum (R-WaPo) considers this a great day in Iraq’s history. Future generations will compare Saddam’s trial and execution to the Nuremburg trials. Well, yes, I suppose so, when you take your ideological lead from people who compare every single opponent in the world to Adolph Hitler and his happy band of warriors, I imagine that is what you think people will compare this show trial to. Of course, in Nuremburg, the allied powers moved heaven and earth to obtain all witnesses requested by the prisoners, and accorded them more than adequate time to consult with attorneys, prepare defenses, and actually presented the public face of a civilized group of nations trying an uncivilized cabal of men for crimes against humanity.

Unlike Nuremburg, defense attorneys for Saddam were threatened, inveighed against, prohibited from access to materials and witnesses they requested. Several of his attorneys were kidnapped, and killed. One might make a good argument that protection of these attorneys would have constituted a prima facie case of demanding fair and open justice.

Mr Birnbuam extended that comparison. Claiming that many people argued the validity of the Nuremburg trials, contending for years afterwards that the whole thing was rigged. Not on the planet I live on, Mr Birnbaum. In the time I have spent in Germany over the years I have never spoken with a German who contended the trials were anything but fair and proper.

Fox News also brought in Ralph Peters, short-sighted columnist for the New York Post who opined that the execution will not make much difference in Iraq, while simultaneously being a “milestone.” One must remember that Mr Peters is a charter member of the PNAC, and is therefore quite practiced at making contradictory claims in the same sentence. He did acknowledge that there have been many “appalling” mistakes in Iraq, thereby reinforcing the current PNAC and Likudnik propaganda narrative that the plan to conquer Iraq and thereby protect Israel was perfect, and George Bu$h screwed it up.

Mr Peters also made the laughable claim that once Saddam dances the Danny Deever dictators all over the world will have trouble sleeping at nights. I suppose he thinks they’ll only sleep during the daytime, or something. Maybe Mr Peters has been doing celebratory jello shots all day – I don’t know, but that is flawed logic if I ever heard it. Does he mean that Mr Bu$h plans to go gunning after every other dictator in the world because there can be but one?

The Fox host used the trademarked “some say” theme that it might be wise to keep Saddam alive in prison. Mr Peters of course didn’t like this idea since Saddam apparently killed 1.5 million people, although he was convicted of killing 142. That would be unacceptable, because a live dictator in prison would be a martyr and a locus point for resistance, whereas a dead dictator wouldn’t be a martyr. Yes. I definitely think he’s been doing jello shots all day long. After all, it’s well known that dead people like Moses, Abraham, Jesus, and Mohammed never inspired people to follow a particular policy or ideology.

There was also a quickie interview with a reporter, Jennifer (last name unknown) who spent much time covering the trial and was present when Saddam was marched in to hear the sentence. She reported Saddam sat down, and when instructed by the judge to stand up to hear his sentence refused. She reported his demeanor as “haughty” and arrogant” and as he left the court room he leaned over the prosecution table, “hissed” something at them, and then “swaggered” out of the room.

I suppose everyone expected him to quiver, and grovel. The first thought I had was “Good for him. He’s going to die whatever he says or does, so why pander to them?” Live by the sword, die by the sword, but die on your feet rather than on your knees. He'll be dead by 10 PM tonight, they say.

Troll prophylactic: Yes, yes, yes, he‘s a “bad man”. Yes, yes, yes, he “killed his own people.” Yes, yes, yes, he deserves to die, but there is no requirement for him to humiliate himself in order to shore up Mr Bu$h’s feelings of masculine inadequacy. I don't like the man, don't care about him, but it is good that he is going out like a man

Considering it was Fox News, I really expected much more triumphalism. Maybe they're planning on O'Reilly doing the "Gloat Factor" tonight.

UPDATE: Paragraph on the Ralph Peters version of Earth reality was edited for better clarity.