Saddam's MP

In just a few hours, British voters go to the polls to elect a new government. Personally, I have no choice but to support Tony Blair and the Labour Party. Blair has been a loyal and courageous ally in the War on Islamist Terror, and I fully hope that he and his party are returned to power.

There was a time when I could never have imagined hoping for a Labour victory in the UK. However, the current war has made for strange bedfellows. While Blair has been steadfast in standing against the jihadists, the other options inspire no such confidence. The Liberal Democrats, who were founded as a middle of the road party, have degenerated into the voice of anti-American appeasement. Particularly sad is the plight of the Conservatives. The party of Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher, which was once so resolute in the defense of the West, has sold its soul for partisan gain. The Tories have shamefully resorted to the kind of infantile "Blair lied" rhetoric that has been so popular among Democrats when directed at George W. Bush in this country. They deserve to fail and fail miserably.

There is one particular parliamentary race that I find to be of special interest. In the east London district of Bethnal Green and Bow, Labour MP Oona King is running for reelection. Ms. King is Jewish and supported the liberation of Iraq. Her district contains a large Bangladeshi Muslim population, the majority of whom are bitterly opposed to the Iraq War. Typical of all too many in the Islamic world, they regard the liberation of Iraq as a horrible affront, yet have no problem with the mass murder of Muslims carried out by Saddam Hussein. In one particularly disgraceful incident, Ms. King and a number of elderly Jews were pelted with eggs and garbage at a memorial ceremony for civilians killed by a German V-2 rocket attack 60 years ago.

Beyond such disgusting incidents, it is the challenger for Ms. King's seat who makes this race especially noteworthy. Her opponent is simply the most odious British political figure since Oswald Mosely: one Mr. George Galloway.

Galloway, a native of Glasgow and longtime Labour MP representing that city, is the embodiment of the hard left that once dominated that party. He has been virulently anti-American his entire career. He has stated that "I did support the Soviet Union, and I think the disappearance of the Soviet Union is the biggest catastrophe of my life". However, George recovered from the loss of his beloved Soviet communism and soon found a new totalitarian object of his affections: Saddam Hussein.

In 1994, Galloway traveled to Baghdad and met the Iraqi dictator, telling Saddam that "I salute your courage, your strength, your indefatigability". He has openly sided with both the Baathist regime and the post-Saddam terrorist insurgency. Finally, Galloway's antics became too much, and he was expelled from the Labour Party in November 2003.

After being kicked out of Labour, Galloway formed his own political party, RESPECT. This organization was described by James Forsyth as "a bizarre fusion of the far left and Islamists", held together by the "glue of anti-American and anti-Israeli sentiment". During the current race, Galloway has appealed to the worst instincts of the voters of Bethnal Green and Bow, playing both the race and the religion cards. Among other things, he has called for the release of that noble political prisoner, Tariq Aziz.

Harry's Place, which has done a tremendous job of exposing Galloway for who he is, sums up the case against "Gorgeous George" rather nicely:

Galloway didn't just suck up to Saddam and his henchmen when they were in power - he is continuing to act on their behalf and give his active support to them now, even after they have been overthrown and are to face justice. He is quite simply unfit to be a parliamentary representative in a democratic society.

Regardless of what else happens in today's voting, I hope and pray that this pro-totalitarian demogogue is defeated, and relegated to the fevered swamp fringe where he belongs.