Excuses, excuses... posted by Richard Seymour

Here is a very funny letter to The Guardian today:

So Saddam's defence is: "I was only giving orders."
Ian Joyce
Milton Keynes

You know, I can't be the only one who's sick to death of fallen despots being "defiant". Pinochet is defiant, Milosevic is defiant, Saddam is bloody defiant. Knock it off. Can't we just once have an ex-dictator who says:

"Okay, let's face it, I did it. I'm a cunt. I made a big mistake, and I'm very, very sorry. Honestly, whatever it is you're going to do to me, I deserve it. Here, let me help you with that electrode... where, on the testicles? Okay... and you want me to drink litres and litres of soapy water, stuff a towel in my mouth, then allow soldiers to jump up and down on my belly til I vomit through my nose?* Righto!"

Just once, you know what I mean?

*This was an actual method of torture used by French paratroopers in Algeria while being commanded by Lieutenant Jean Marie Le Pen. ( Jim Wolfreys, "'The centre cannot hold': fascism, the left and the crisis of French politics", International Socialism Journal, Summer 2002 ).