"We have what we call the smoking gun"

"Because I publicly humiliated this lickspittle senator Norman Coleman -- one of [George] Bush's righthand men -- in the US senate in May, this sneak revenge attack has been launched over the past 24 hours," protests British MP blowhard George Galloway as Senator Coleman quietly reels in his catch. (Photograph: Dennis Cook/AP of Galloway before Coleman committee last May)

"He said the investigation was intended to divert attention from the 'pack of lies' that led to the Iraq invasion in 2003," notes CNN re George "Gasbag" Galloway's own pack of lies -- blogged here and here -- before Norm Coleman's Oil-for-Food committee last May. Now Coleman has laid his cards on the table with a damning report, but the bloviating British MP still doesn't get it, telling a reporter that "Hell clearly hath no [greater] fury than a U.S. senator humiliated. It's a sneak revenge attack of the most contemptible kind." Reports The Independent:

[Galloway] was last night accused of lying by a US Congressional committee when he testified earlier this year that he had not received any United Nation food-for-oil allocations from the deposed Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.

"We have what we call the smoking gun," said Mr Coleman, who will send the report to the US Department of Justice and the British authorities. The MP could face charges of perjury, making false statements and obstructing a Congressional investigation. Each charge carries a possible jail term of five years and a fine of $250,000.

"[Coleman] has been focussed on cleaning up the UN like no one else," ED Hill of Fox & Friends is saying, even as co-anchor Brian Kilmeade reflexively mouths the tired media CW that Galloway's puerile antics before Senator Coleman were "so convincing."  Not.  As Lucianne said at the time,

Galloway goes bezerkers at hearing. Claims documents forged, tooth fairy took money, large white rabbit blackmailing him.

Then, as now, the Bush Lied, People Died™ community, wishfully oblivious to Galloway's Marcusian "fiction is truth" inversions, were drawn to the  ignis fatuus* of his fiery Irish Scots [thanks to reader Jim Braiden for the correction] rhetoric. More details of the committee's findings from the London Times:

Some of the most senior members of Saddam Hussein’s regime contradicted George Galloway’s denials that he ever sought benefit from Iraqi oil, US investigators said yesterday.

The most damning fresh testimony came from Tariq Aziz, the former Deputy Prime Minister, who told the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations that Iraq granted Mr Galloway oil allocations to help to fund his Mariam Appeal. The investigators said Mr Aziz also told them that a letter allegedly recording a request by Mr Galloway for an increased “share of oil” is authentic. The letter, found in a government building, purports to be from the Iraqi Intelligence Service, dated January 2000.

The Kos crowd laughed when Norm Coleman sat down -- one of them sarcastically referrred to our own pro-Norm post, Galloway admits he sold his soul, as "My Personal Fave" and advised readers to "be sure you're not drinking anything" before clicking on over.  They were snickering over our prediction:

Coleman gives the impression of a skilled fisherman letting a barracuda on the line wear itself out thrashing before the fisherman effortlessly reels him in.  Galloway will make a lovely trophy on the wall behind Norm Coleman's desk.

He who laughs last, laughs best.

*Ignis fatuus. 1, A phosphorescent light that hovers or flits over swampy ground at night, possibly caused by spontaneous combustion of gases emitted by rotting organic matter. Also called friar's lantern, jack-o'-lantern; Also called will-o'-the-wisp, wisp. 2. Something that misleads or deludes; an illusion.

Update:  Woohoo:  InstaLanche!

Update II: .  We love this bit from TigerHawk:

Sissy Willis, who has had Galloway in her crosshairs at least since his "testimony" before the United States Senate, runs a victory lap.

It's Grrrrr-eat!!

Technorati tags:  galloway, coleman, oil for food

Comments

[Jolly Sapper]

So if this guy is gonna get into some crap for being involved with the Oil for Food scandal, what about the american companies that had their fingers in the "honey pot" as well?

[goomp]

Name one, Jolly Sap, and be ready for legal action if you are wrong.

[TigerHawk]

Great post. I linked, Sissy, but the Typepad trackback seems still to be on the fritz.

[Chris L.]

They're getting indicted too. For example, this guy: http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/04/14/oilfood.indictment/. Still, there ought to be a steeper penalty for worms like Galloway who use a charity as a front for their theft.

[John Blake]

Escalating vulgarities from poor, misunderstood George Galloway are inevitable. The rule is that ninety percent of most scandals remain well-hidden. In politics, however, it is only a scamster's incompetence, or -- as in this case -- the physical collapse of his pay-pals, that ever sheds light on even the most egregious corruption.

Put Galloway in context of Kofi Annan, et al. As in Galloway's case, it has been some years now since this festering poseur was first exposed. What's followed just piles the manure higher... anyone with a vestige of honor or integrity would have resigned long since, rather than merely increasing the decibel levels of his rants. We wonder why Parliament and the UN, as institutions, seem helpless in the face of self-destruction? All any decent citizen can say is, "Good Lord! Who ARE these creeps? Can't anyone take action?"

[Jim Braiden]

Please,
George Galloway is Scots not Irish. We have more than enough of our own assholes without having to put up wiith him.
Jim Braiden

[Uncle Jimbo]

Dear Sissy,

Last month George Galloway and Jane Fonda were scheduled to speak here in Madison, WI. Fonda said she was sick, or sickening, whatever and no-showed. Galloway was there and I weaseled into the press conference with home made credentials and a friend and I infiltrated the press conference and got some good Q&A on video.

Mr. Galloway comes to Madison
http://www.madison.com/post/blogs/militarymatters/index.php?ntid=54671&ntpid=2

Cordially,

Uncle J

[Andrew]

I too, ran afoul of Typepad's pinging problems. But I am pleased to see your vindication. Never did understand what was so impressive about Galloway's performance in May.

[Collin]

There were Americans and american companies involved. They were all strangly anti-bush and anti-war though. =(

[ElcubanitoKC]

To Collin and Jolly Sapper:

Please NAME the American companies and individuals involved.

Thank you,

[Seixon]

My investigation (http://www.seixon.com/blog/archives/politics/george_galloway/perjury_investigation/index.html) into Galloway right after his Senate testimony showed that he conspired to conceal Mr. Zureikat's role in the Mariam Appeal. He claimed during the testimony that he had "told everyone" about Zureikat, and that he was a businessman in Iraq, and that he gave large amounts of money to Mariam Appeal. One problem: he lied.

In addition to Coleman's findings that Galloway failed to disclose Zureikat's donations for 2000 in the standard "interest" declaration in the UK, my evidence shows that Zureikat was not cited on the Mariam Appeal website as a donor, nor credited with helping fund it, even though the governments of UAE and Saudi Arabia were.

This shows that Galloway knew that Zureikat's role in the Mariam Appeal could not withstand scrutiny, so he made sure no one knew about his donations.

With the evidence now compiled by the Coleman panel, anyone can see why Galloway kept Zureikat a secret.

[EddieP]

Colin and Jolly Sapper.........crickets?

[Seixon]

Detailed and complete overview of the "smoking gun" against George Galloway:
http://www.seixon.com/blog/archives/2005/10/every_penny_in.html

[Jolly Sapper]

Search bar: "Oil for Food" American companies.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/04/14/oilfood.indictment/index.html
"David Chalmers, owner of the Houston-based company Bayoil Inc., which participated in the U.N. program, was arrested in the Texas city Thursday and made an initial appearance in federal court. Chalmers and two associates are accused of paying millions to the regime of Saddam Hussein to secure oil deals, thereby diverting money from the U.N. humanitarian aid program."