MARTHA SENTENCED!!!! also that Iraq guy killed a bunch of people...

While every major and minor news story is covering the Martha Stewart trial and its Earth-shattering effect on our society, nay, the global society as a whole, there's a story out of Baghdad that, amazingly, is shocking, even though I thought nothing could be shocking coming out of that part of the world anymore. But check this shit out:

Baghdad, Iraq, Jul. 16 (UPI) -- Iraqi Interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi killed six suspected insurgents just days before he was handed power, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.

The report cites two witnesses to the killing who say Allawi fatally shot the prisoners, who were handcuffed, blindfolded and lined up against a wall in a courtyard near the maximum-security facility at al-Amariyah security centre near Baghdad. They quoted Allawi as saying the men "deserved worse than death" because each had killed some 50 Iraqis.

The newspaper added the killings were seen by about a dozen Iraqi police and four Americans from Allawi's security team. Interior Minister Falah al-Naqib, another alleged witness, is said to have congratulated Allawi.

The Herald report in its Saturday editions said both Allawi's office and Naqib denied the report.

The newspaper quoted witnesses as saying Allwai told those present he wanted to send a clear message to police on how to deal with insurgents.

Seven prisoners were brought out. Six were shot in the head and died. One was wounded, the report said.

When we installed Allawi, who had lifelong ties to the CIA, I expected him to use CIA tactics to battle the insurgency. Indeed, some of his first acts included reserving the right to declare martial law in the cities, conducting overnight sweeps and mass arrests in Baghdad, and establishing a new intelligence service to combat terrorists. All that is well and good, but now we're talking about cold blooded murder to set an example of intimidation. Hey, that sounds like Saddam Hussein!

So, now it appears we again have a brutal strongman in Iraq. The difference is that he's OUR brutal strongman.