Is the Senator having a laugh?

Some say humour doesn't travel. 'This Old Brit' begs to differ. Funny is funny - in anyone's language - period.

So when I heard US Senator Norm Coleman's latest - I couldn't help but smile. I mean - he is kidding - isn't he?

I can imagine how glad he was to see the back of [UK MP] George Galloway. What a perfect platform the former gave the latter, eh? Inadvertantly, obviously.

Now, could a similar s.o.b. situation soon be sailing the Senator's way? Take a peek at this, from today's 'Independent'.

** "The Jordanian businessman at the centre of claims that George Galloway secretly bought oil from Saddam Hussein has a major contract to sell US military technology in Iraq, The Independent on Sunday can reveal." **

Oh, you may think, what a tangled web we weave. Eh?

Here's some more from the same report:

** "Fawaz Zureikat has been accused by a US Senate committee of orchestrating illegal oil deals with the Iraqi dictator allegedly on behalf of Mr Galloway, ... " **

It gets more interesting:

** " It has now emerged that a firm run by Mr Zureikat, 51, and other members of his family, has the exclusive rights to sell highly sensitive military encryption technologies made by a US firm in Iraq.

Their company, Middle East Advanced Semi-conductors, was awarded the contract in January 2004 by the US firm Transcrypt to sell its specialised chips to the Iraqi military, police and government.

The same chips are heavily used by the US army, other major US federal agencies and other secret military clients in the Middle East." **

And there's more:

** "Last night, Mr Galloway's spokesman claimed the revelation about Mr Zureikat's military contract suggested he was a far more credible and substantial figure than the US Senate Permanent Sub-Committee on Investigations had alleged.

A spokesman for the committee's Republican chairman, Senator Norm Coleman, said that the contract was irrelevant to its investigations ... "

Irrelevant ? Really ? Try telling that to the troops.

Er ........ redolence of rodent, anyone?

Read the full piece by the Independent's Severin Carrell -- then decide for yourself.

Clink on this link: http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/story.jsp?story=640428