Power Line: Cry Me A River

Power Line: Cry Me A River Saddam's chief lawyer, Ziad al-Khasawneh, said his legal team would sue The Sun because the photos represent "an insult to humanity, Arabs and the Iraqi people."



"It is clear that the pictures were taken inside the prison, which means that American soldiers have leaked the pictures," he said by telephone from Amman, Jordan. "We will sue the newspaper and everyone who helped in showing these pictures."



He said the photos were part "of a comprehensive war against the Islamic and Arab nations" that included the abuse at Baghdad's Abu Ghraib prison and allegations by Newsweek, which were later retracted, about Quran desecration at the U.S. prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.



So Saddam will sue the Sun and the Post? Can I volunteer to be on the jury?



Al Jazeera's reaction was puzzling, to say the least:



Jihad Ballout, a spokesman for the Al-Jazeera network, said his network did not show the pictures because it had ethical and professional concerns.



"The photo is demeaning to Iraqis," he said, adding that "from the professional side, it is not news."



It's nice to know that Al Jazeera has "ethical and professional concerns." I hadn't noticed that before, especially when they were showing videos of Westerners having their heads cut off, or photos of captured and dead American soldiers.