Galloway admits he sold his soul

Calm and methodical in his questioning, Committee Chair of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations Senator Norm Coleman (left) has the upper hand as studiedly hysterical anti-Bush Brit George Galloway tries to change the subject with groundless accusations against his accusers during Oil-for-Food hearings this morning and afternoon.

"I gave my heart and soul to try to save the Iraqis who were dying because of the sanctions," keens an unspeakably rude and puerile and pompous British MP George Galloway in a classic Marcusian "fiction is truth" inversion offense during Norm Coleman's Oil-for-Food Committee hearing. Rough live transcription:

I gave my heart and soul to stop you committing the disaster that you did commit in invading iraq, and I told the world that your argument for invading iraq was a big pack of lies. I turned out to be right, and you turned out to be wrong. If the world had listened to Kofi Annan . . .  to Jacques Chirac . . . to me and the anti-war movement, none of this would have happened.  This is the mother of all smokescreens.  You are trying to divert attention from the crimes that you have committed. Have a look at Halliburton . . . the oil that you didn't even meter, that you were shipping out of the country and went who knows where . . . The real sanctions were your own corporations backed by your government.

Unfortunately, little of the hearing is available to us live, as the cables -- even FOXNews -- go live only when things "heat up," giving the advantage to the Brit's hot-headed performance. His rabidly anti-Bush soundbites will be manna for the gaping media maw in the coming news cycles. Presumably that's Galloway's strategy, but we have a gut feeling the truth will out. We won the Revolutionary War fergossake.  This shouldn't be so hard. 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.

Here's a little background on the dynamics of this historic encounter from the Telegram:

Room 106 of the Senate's Dirksen Building provides the setting today for a clash of two very different political cultures: the grand and slightly ponderous tradition of Capitol Hill and the more demotic, quickfire approach of the new MP for Bethnal Green and Bow.

Advisers to Senator Norm Coleman, the Republican chairing today's hearing, confidently predicted that Mr Galloway was in for a surprise.

"He will be grilled as never before," said one aide. "He won't be able to turn it into some sort of circus. This is deadly serious and he will be called to account."

'Can't wait to sit back and savor it all uninterrupted later on during C-Span re-runs.

Update:  This guy is smooth.  In an on-the-spot post-hearing interview with CNN's Richard Roth, Galloway preps his interviewer with the proper spin :

I think the British parliamentary system won . . . I think I embarrassed Senator Norm Coleman, [but beyond that], I hope I reached a broader public with my broader case.

Roth, a bedfellow who covers the UN for CNN, is lapping it up.

Update II:  Happiness is a warm InstaLanche.

Update III:  Lucianne, the mother of all lanches.

Comments

[dubya]

Let me guess - Jacob either lives in the New York area and subscribes to the New York Times or he lives somewhere else in the country and picks up the NY Times on Sundays. He watches CBS for "mainstream" television news and switches to CNN for even more "mainstream" news. He thinks Newsweek is too conservative and thinks the election was stolen from Kerry because how could all those exit polls be so wrong. He thinks Al Sharpton is a moderate and Robert Byrd is a statesman. He hangs on every word uttered by Teddy Kennedy, Chuck Schumer, Tom Harkin, Sean Penn and Barbra Streisand and he thinks Cameron Diaz is not only "hot" but also a deep political thinker (like Jessica Lange). He welcomes a complete transformation of the U.S. on the model of the wheezing welfare states of dying Europe and feels that the only way to keep America from going straight to hell is to block the nominations of strict constructionist judges by George Bush so that when Hillary or Obama sweep to power in the restoration, they can return to appointing judges like Ruth Bader Ginsberg who seems to prefer precedents in European or Muslim law to Constitutionalism. Oh, and he enjoys lattes in the day and French bordeaux in the evening while he listens to NPR.
And if that doesn't describe Jacob to a "t", he needs to change his lifestyle. Did I mention he thinks Michael Moore is the most honest and greatest filmmaker of all time and Saddam wasn't really all that bad and the Taliban were really just misunderstood?

[raymond]

Jacob is just angry that Galloway didn't hand him some guy's "ass on a platter".

[Joe Tucker]

Boy is the author of this blog a moron. Galloway SERVED coleman yesterday. As an american who has grown more and more tired of the ankle biting republican bloggers and their empty thoughtless drivel, it was just outstanding to see somebody who actually has a brain in his head take coleman out behind the toolshed and bitch-slap him. Rock on, Scotland!

[Sissy Willis]

There's a sucker born every minute, Joe-Joe. :)

[Lex Richards]

it was clear that he receive money from illicit oil deals from his close associate to his campaigns and his charity. No I don't think so!! . where was the proof his name on a peice of paper get real you've got to do better than that did he sign for it , did they show his bank details no stop behaving like pratts your boys got and I love the line BITCH-SLAPS Ha ha ha come to parliment for real politic bye he heh he

[Sissy Willis]

Spelling and grammar count. Not to mention common sense and logical argument. Then there are folks like Lex who don't appear to have a clue. :)

[stalinsux]

Galloway was great. These senators should be ashamed of themselves.

[imachong]

the US senate is a polarized farce unworthy of respect.

The republican bloggers are desperate to get some face out of this disaster, but there isnt any to get. Your repub senators were waxed and booby-trapped by Galloway.

I particularly enjoyed where Galloway mentaioned Coleman's many trips to Israel courtesy of AIPAC...which i think reveals a lot about why Galloway is being demonized.

Unfortunately for the neo-cons, Galloway is at a verbal street fighter and parliment-honed orator. He made them look like fools, like they were the ones on trial, which is no less than they deserve.

shame on the republican senate for this would be set-up, show trial, which happily blew up in their faces.

[andophiroxia]

From what I understand, there's some question of the legality of votes over where Galloway's at.

[The Truth]

GEORGE - YOU DA MAN !!!!

[Manny]

Hell yeah - I want this man in MY GOVERNMENT.

[Daniel Evjen]

I heard your speech before the United States Congress about a week ago and I just wanted to congratulate you on a JOB WELL DONE! As you were speaking I was cheering you on! You really told those drop jawed loosers the way it is. I only wish our democrats in the legislature could speak with 5% the authority and purpose that you did.

After you were finished, I said to my wife, boy I wish we could vote for him for president. Currently, we have this coward worm BUSH who cheated his way through life and into the presidency. Our country has been in free fall ever since. A never ending war, a national debt that has grown out of sight, a failed economy, gas prices through the roof, yet these nutty Christian fundies keep voting republican.

Well you know all about our problems so I will stop now.

[chris]

Its curious to note that on all right wing blogs in regards to Galloway no one mentions the only factual evidence produced during the May 17th Senate hearing. Undisputed. Proven. That the U.S. gov't allowed 7 ships to depart Iraq with illegal oil headed for Jordan and Turkey courtesy of Bayoil, the 6th fleet and the current administration. How can those that heard that the U.S. was the largest beneficiary in the Oil for Food scandal seriously look themselves in the mirror and think they have a backbone? Galloway is small fish compared to what we looted. We'll let me tell you why those of you who bother worrying about Galloway and not worrying about the U.S.'s actions do what you do. Because you are morally messed up. Truth is truth and when you get your foolish patriotism out of the way and pay attention to whats really going on you'll feel a lot better and probably have more friends. As it is right now I think a lot of you have some serious issues. Any court of law would have thrown out the case against Galloway. And any sane person can see that there is a case to be made against the U.S. government for complicity in Oil For Food. Has anyone noticed how the media has dropped this issue now that it has been exposed as the rouse it is to defame the United Nations?