The Madness Of (Frea)King George.

So far, it looks as if Norm Coleman will get the last laugh. The figures differ slightly, but the story is the same: The Senate Permanent Subcommittee of Investigations has tracked about £85,000 in Iraqi oil money to an account owned by Galloway's wife. You might recall Galloway's loud performance in front of the committee a while back where he engaged in his usual bluster and misdirection. At the time, a whole lovely lot thought Galloway had got the better of Sen. Coleman, who sat stoically (can one really "sit" stoically?) as the mouthy MP from East London hurled insults and taunts during his testimony.

Now, Coleman says, in understated terms:

“Galloway was anything but straight with the Congress. He was anything but straight with the American people. There was a lot of bombast. There was a lot of sound and fury signifying nothing,” Senator Coleman said. “We take very seriously the importance of testifying honestly before this committee . . .” he said. “We will forward matters relating to Galloway’s false and misleading statements to the proper authorities here and in Great Britain.”

An aid to Coleman said that Galloway would be referred to the Justice Department for investigation into possible perjury, making false statements and obstruction of a Congressional inquiry. Each charge carries a maximum five year prison term and a fine of $250,000 (about 140,000 GBP).

Coleman has witnesses, too, the most delicious of which is Tariq Aziz, Saddam Hussein's former deputy Prime Minister, who testified that Galloway specifically asked for oil allocations.

In response to the allegations, Galloway was a bit miffed, and challenged Sen Coleman to a duel with pistols, daggers and haggis. But that was off the record. For the public, Galloway announced:

"I am demanding prosecution, I am begging for prosecution," Mr Galloway told Sky News. "I am saying if I have lied under oath in front of the senate, that's a criminal offence. Charge me and I will head for the airport right now and face them down in court as I faced them down in the senate room.

"Because I publicly humiliated this lickspittle senator Norman Coleman - one of [George] Bush's righthand men - in the US senate in May, this sneak revenge attack has been launched over the past 24 hours."

Hmmm. Lickspittle. George does have a way with adjective, does he not?

Galloway used much the same tactic when he engaged in a debate recently with Christopher Hitchens. Actually, to call it a debate would be stretching the term, as it became apparent early on that while Hitchens believed he had been invited to debate Galloway, Galloway was there for some rancorous lickspittling. You can read and hear all about that here (scroll down). I mention this only because I am eagerly awaiting Mr Hitchens' (who, incidentally, lost out to Noam Chomsky as leading intellectual of the Milk Way, how humiliating) reaction to this news.

UPDATE: Here it is.

Just before my last exchange with George Galloway, which occurred on the set of Bill Maher's show in Los Angeles in mid-September, I was approached by a representative of the program and asked if I planned to repeat my challenge to Galloway on air. That challenge—would he sign an affidavit saying that he had never discussed Oil-for-Food monies with Tariq Aziz?—I had already made on a public stage in New York. Maher's producers had been asked, obviously by a nervous Galloway, to find out whether I had brought such an affidavit along with me. I replied that this was not necessary, since his public denial to me was on the record and had been broadcast, and since it further confirmed the apparent perjury that he had committed in front of the U.S. Senate on May 17, 2005. I added that I wanted no further contact with Galloway until I could have the opportunity of reviewing his prison diaries.

I will leave the rest to the reader, especially the final paragraph, which is vintage Hitchens. He seems to think that this will likely turn into something, Let us hope so and be done with the stink of George Galloway.

Comments

[Jack]

Not trying to minimize any potential crimes committed by Galloway, but I sincerely hope that the same Republicans that are calling for Galloway's head over perjury are not in the next breath minimizing any perjury charges against members of the current administration.

The different spins are making me dizzy, because I demand consistency.

Silly me.

[Daniel]

I hope so too, Jack. Although I find it odd that no Democrats are making any shocked declarations with regards to Georgie. Seems that there are enough scoundrels to go around.