What is with this new Iraqi government? They can’t police themselves, they can’t end insurgent violence, and they also aren’t “stepping up” when it comes to building gallows set to international gallows standards in accordance with human rights organizations.

They were only supposed to “hang” Saddam’s half brother, Barzan Ibrahim, and thus kill him humanely by crushing the carotid arteries and jugular veins, which would induce a carotid reflex (slow the heartbeat to stoppage), or by causing a cervical fracture which would lead to severe spinal cord injury, which might or might not have caused instantaneous death. Instead, they went and did something barbaric.

It seems Mr. Ibrahim’s head separated from his body during the fall, after what had been a splendid and respectful “taunt-free” trip to the gallows. An Iraqi government spokesman named Ali al-Dabbagh described the proccedings as such:

“All the people present abided by the government’s rule and there were no violations. No one shouted slogans or said anything that would taint the execution.”

Drat! Nothing taints a hanging more than a decapitation! (Imagine how bummed the hangman felt, after obediently not shouting out Shi’ite propaganda and not whipping out his camera phone. He was probably flush with anger, under his mask.)

Anyway, if justice is going to continue to be carried out in this new Democracy, the folks in Washington might need to revisit Haliburton’s 2004 sealed bid for the construction and maintenance of “Liberty Gallows.” Hanging is American, goshdarnnit! This is the one thing that should go well! The Old West! The Lincoln Conspiracy! Halloween Decorations! If we wanted people getting their heads lopped off, we would have invited those Surrender Monkeys in Paris to join the Coalition of the Willing!

(What? They were invited? Never mind.)