Xinhua Xanitizes Xaddam

In the run-up to his trial, this Xinhua biogaphy of Saddam curiously omits many of the despot’s major crimes, including the gassing of the Kurds and the devestation of the Marsh Arabs. The China News Agency acknowledges that Saddam was a “strongman,” probably much in the way they would with Mao. But as with the Great Helmsman, mass murder is the crime that dares not speak its name. Look for more of this santizing from many nefarious corners throughout the trial period.