The Elders are coming! The Elders are coming!

Things are bad in the Middle East, so, to complete the picture, now Carter, Annan to lead peace delegation to Middle East next month

A council of world leaders launched by former President Nelson Mandela is sending a three-person team to try to help ease tensions in the Middle East, the organization known as The Elders said Friday.

Former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and former Irish President Mary Robinson will visit Israel, the Palestinian territories, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, and Saudi Arabia April 13-21.

Ponder that: the President whose administration was defined by the Iranian hostage crisis, and the UN president whose tenure was defined by the Oil=For-Food scandal, the biggest fraud in the history of mankind (which would have not come to light if it weren't for the US invasion of Iraq), are heading to the Middle East "to help ease tensions".

Forgive me if I can't help but wonder if there is money to be made in them hills. I am extremely wary of any self-proclaimed elders of the global village.

But whether there is or isn't, we all know what's going to come out of that: more demands that Israel give in, more platitudes on Palestinian victimization, and more deja-vu, all over again.

UPDATE
Soccer Dad looks at the do-gooders.



Share on Facebook

Saddam to hang at 10PM EST

A top Iraqi official said Saddam will be executed before 10 p.m. EST Friday.

I certainly hope al-Jazeera carries the execution. This is why:
Earlier this year when I went to listen to Dan Senor, one of the main points he made was that

Arab Muslims are voting and holding their governments accountable; al-Jazeera and al-Arabiya have broadcast this around the regions... This is very powerful and very important.

Specifically, on Saddam's trial, he stated,

The trial sends a message to almost every ruler who identifies with Saddam. The only thing that never happened is the governments to be held accountable - until now. The trial's being aired by al-Jazeera and al-Arabiya. Senor spent half a day with one of Saddam's attorneys and was told that other area rulers are terrified, and particularly mentioned Al-Assad.

One dramatic development in the trial in recent days was Saddam's admission that he was responsible for the 1981 assassination of a small Sunni town where 150 people killed and the town was razed.

It is important for Iraq to close this 3-decade chapter [in its history].

Let's not underestimate the power the image of Saddam's execution will carry across the Middle East.

Update Round-up at Right Voices

Iraq The Model has the latest.

Update, Saturday December 30 While CNN spouts off how Saddam - whose own official documents suggest that a staggering 5 million executions were made during Baath era alone - was a"champion of the Arab cause", Gateway Pundit points out that Saddam was hanged inside one of his former torture centres. As I said above, area rulers are watching.
The Anchoress, who's a much better woman than I, grapples with the issues of morality. Me, I'm glad the SOB's dead. So is Pamela.

And now for The Very Briefest of Neocon Retrospectives. More from Claudia Rosett.

Another update: Again, we can be proud that the United States of America brought him down. And that no dictator can ever feel entirely safe again.

Hat tips: Larwyn

Later update, Sigmund, Carl and Alfred and Dr Sanity examine the reaction from the Left.