THE BURNED OVER DISTRICT

George Galloway, MP from Bethnal Green and leading anti war politician in England, came to our country to defend himself against charges that he profited from Iraqi oil sales. Unlike so many before the Senate who quake and obfuscate before the majesty of those self satisfied blowhards, George handily bearded the lions in their own den.

[He] told US senators who accused him of profiting from Iraq oil dealings their claims were the "mother of all smokescreens".

"I know that standards have slipped over the last few years in Washington, but for a lawyer you are remarkably cavalier with any idea of justice," he told Senator Norm Coleman, the Republican subcommittee chairman.

"I am here today - but last week you already found me guilty. You traduced my name around the world without ever having asked me a single question, without ever having contacted me, without ever having written to me or telephoned me, without any contact with me whatsoever - and you call that justice."

And

Mr Galloway said he had met Saddam Hussein on two occasions - the same number of times as US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

"The difference is Donald Rumsfeld met him to sell him guns and give him maps," Galloway said in a heated opening statement.

"I met him to try and bring about an end to sanctions, suffering and war, and on the second occasion, I met him to try and persuade him to allow Hans Blix and U.N. inspectors back into country,"

And, lest anyone confuse him with a Saddam sympathizer.

"Senator, in everything I said about Iraq I turned out to be right and you turned out to be wrong - and 100,000 have paid with their lives, 1,600 of them American soldiers sent to their deaths on a pack of lies," Mr Galloway told Sen Coleman.

"I was an opponent of Saddam Hussein when the British and American governments and businessmen were selling him guns and gas,"

"I have a better record of opposition to Saddam Hussein than you do."

Read all about it here and here and here and here