No ... though maybe I need to clarify what I mean by "meaningless pomp".

Saddam's trial is merely a circus affair designed to concoct an excuse to "off" a Pinocchio dictator who dared to cut the strings from his Geppeto master and be real with whom he wanted to sell his oil.

Keep in mind that the "government" in Iraq is merely a new and illegal-invasion puppet of the U.S., and thus anything it does is in violation of U.N. international behavior restrictions.

By all U.N. rights, Saddam is indeed the President of Iraq, the government rightly to hold power in Iraq is his as it was before the illegal invasion, and only the U.N. has the right to intervene and depose Saddam.

The U.N. did not intervene to depose Saddam -- the U.S. blocked U.N. procedure and then committed an illegal oil heist invasion of Iraq, illegally deposing Saddam.

It doesn't matter the allegations against Saddam by the U.S., as everyone knows now that Bush administration intelligence reports about Saddam's conduct are not to be trusted.

So unless the U.N. has verifiable information that Saddam was committing genocide and not merely putting down a rebellion, no one, not even the U.N. is duly authorized to try Saddam.

So this trial is invalid and illegal. It is merely a pomp ceremony whereby those opponents harboring political difference with Saddam can get up and vengefully attack him with irrelevancies and the kangaroo court can do Bush's bidding and find Saddam "guilty" and execute him.

So anything that President Saddam can do to make a mockery of this trial and defend himself with violent threats as is appropriate in what is truly merely another battle of this war, is highly appropriate.

Thus this trial is not about crimes committed by Saddam and therefore it is meaningless in that respect.

This trial is about conducting a formality to make it look "legal" when the U.S. murders Saddam Hussein, and that is the pomp of it.