How tough will it be to defend Saddam Hussein? From columnist John O'Farrell in today's Guardian.

Things haven't been made any easier for the defence counsel by the fact the trial is taking place in a location so secret that no one will actually tell them where the courtroom is. There will be video footage of the courtroom, but the judge's face will be pixelated to protect his identity. This is the only trial where it is the judge who has his head under a blanket as he is bundled into the courtroom. Or perhaps this is just because he's so embarrassed to be involved with such a meticulously stage-managed piece of theatre. The west's biggest baddie could have been tried by a democratic Iraqi regime, but that might have meant waiting until after the American elections.

....Of course, some sort of trial was required, if only to provide closure and a modicum of justice for the thousands who suffered under Saddam's brutal dictatorship. But this sham isn't it. And as they rejoin the world community, the Iraqis might just consider the bigger picture. This is election year in the United States and a successful prosecution of Saddam is the best fillip the George Bush re-election campaign could hope for. So to test the idea of genuine independence, in early November the Iraqis should ring up Washington and say: "We've finished the trial, George and, well, we decided to let him off..."

There's lots more.