DINAH LORD: My party is so over. So is Saddam's.

Afternoon Update: Those Muzzies just love a martyr, don't they? Thousands of Iraqis Flock to Saddam's Grave. Say what? Former Iran president welcomes Saddam execution, says nuclear activity clear Syria is slamming the timing of Saddam's execution for crimes against humanity as: "painful and catastrophic" since it came on the first day of Eid Al-Adha and with the Eid's prayers as well as with Muslim pilgrims visit to Mecca where there is "safety, peace and fraternity." So does Saudi Arabia; the EU condemns it and Russia frowns upon it. More Saudi Arabia dismay and Egyptian regret here.

I did watch the cellphone video of the execution that appeared on the internet this morning and I was taken aback at the squalid conditions that it took place under. It didn't make the Iraqis look very good IMO - what, they couldn't afford a coat of paint to make the thing look a LITTLE professional? And what about those carrying out justice? They couldn't have put them in some kind of uniform instead of having them look like street thugs? Then there was that whole taunting thing. Was that really necessary? I don't think so. Finally, what was a damn cellphone doing in the execution chamber?

Really sloppy.

The Counterterrorism blog has an excellent critique of the whole shebang here. Here's a tease:

The timing of his execution was a mistake. I don't expect a surge in violence in Iraq because pretty much all the remaining Ba'athists there have professed a conversion to radical Islam, and there have been no serious efforts by jihadist factions to condemn the execution. Saddam does have a following among ex-pat Ba'athists in Jordan and Syria, but they don't have the infrastructure to carry out retaliatory attacks. However, the timing of Saddam's execution has a deleterious effect that is more difficult to measure empirically. Eid al-Adha is one of Islam's two most important holidays, and today throughout the Muslim world the holiday is being overshadowed by Saddam's execution...

Earlier today: I'm sitting here with my umpteenth cup of coffee staring at the remains of last night's dinner party. I've been at it since ten and I've got two dishwasher loads down and one more to go. The house still reeks of Cohiba smoke and Vodka Martinis, the table linens need laundered but hey! That stuff will just have to wait. Don't you know I've got an Islamic jihad to fight?

This OBVIOUSLY TROUBLING development seems to be going unnoticed in all the Saddam hoopla. Remember those two high ranking Iranians captured by the US in Iraq a few days back? They were released to Iran by the Iraqis on Friday. They weren't just your Average Ahmed either:

One of the commanders, identified by officials simply as Chizari, was the third-highest-ranking official of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards' al-Quds Brigade, the unit most active in aiding, arming and training groups outside Iran, including Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad, U.S. officials said. The other commander was described as equally significant to Iran's support of foreign militaries but not as high-ranking.
Here's what they found on them:

U.S. defense officials familiar with the raids said the captured Iranians had detailed weapons lists, documents pertaining to shipments of weapons into Iraq, organizational charts, telephone records and maps, among other sensitive intelligence information. Officials were particularly concerned by the fact that the Iranians had information about importing modern, specially shaped explosive charges into Iraq, weapons that have been used in roadside bombs to target U.S. military armored vehicles...

This just stinks to high heaven:

Adding to the political sensitivity of the situation, the two men were detained while inside the compound of Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, one of the most powerful Shiite leaders in Iraq. The Bush administration is hoping Hakim can build a moderate coalition of Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish parties that can bring national reconciliation to a fractured Iraq.

Oh, and have I mentioned my disdain for the diplomatic corps lately?

The Iraqi government decided to honor Tehran's claims that the two detainees had diplomatic immunity. U.S. officials had argued that although the men had diplomatic passports, they were operating under aliases and therefore not immune.

I found this intriguing:

Despite their frustration at the release of the Iranians, U.S. officials said a strong message has been sent to Iran that its operatives will be tracked down and that it will be held accountable for its activities in Iraq.

This gives me hope that the US will be rounding up a lot of double dealing Shias in the days to come. God bless our troops. Go get'em, boys.