Banana republic (yes, we've got no bananas)

The Saddam trial is going really well, isn't it? The Judge has now been fired by the prime minister, presumably because the prime minister is Shia and the judge hasn't been anti-Sunni-Saddam enough. Speaks well for the independence of the judiciary, doesn't it?

BAGHDAD, Iraq - The chief judge in Saddam Hussein's genocide trial has been replaced, the Iraqi government spokesman's office confirmed Tuesday. There was no immediate word on who would take over from Judge Abdullah al-Amiri. The government spokesman's office confirmed the change without giving details.

The Arab television stations Al-Arabiya and Al-Jazeera said al-Amiri was replaced at the request of the Iraqi prime minister.

This sounds like exactly the kind of government Bush would love -- one where he could fire any judge that didn't seem to be agreeing with him.

This is definitely not a "Jeffersonian democracy." It's more like a banana republic.