Saddam's behavior: put a sock in it

Republican Sen. Arlen Specter, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has it exactly right. Deposed Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein must not be allowed to bully and bray his way through his televised trial.

Iraq made steady progress in 2005 building the infrastructure of a democracy. Regaining control of the trial of Saddam and his seven co-defendants is akin to laying the cornerstone for the rule of law. "I have been disappointed the way the court has permitted Saddam to dominate the proceedings, and I respect Iraqi sovereignty and I respect judicial independence, but it's also a fair comment to evaluate what is going on," the Pennsylvania senator said in Baghdad. Specter need not have sounded even slightly defensive.

A defendant's rights are to be respected, but the government has a right to put on a trial. Saddam and the others are charged with the killings of more than 140 residents of a southern Iraqi town after a 1982 assassination attempt against the dictator.

The trial is being heard by a panel of five judges, who were told to go to hell by Saddam in one of his outbursts. Everyone is feeling their way here, but however novel a functioning judiciary is in post-Saddam Iraq, the rules and procedures for maintaining an orderly courtroom are not new or inappropriate.

Unruly defendants in the United States are reminded they will have a chance to be heard. They are also told bad behavior has consequences. Defendants have been restrained and silenced. Another option is removal from the courtroom to a location where they can view and hear the trial proceedings remotely.

Regaining control of the Saddam trial follows in the footsteps of Iraq's three elections this year. In January, voters turned out in startling numbers to elect a transitional government. In October, a constitution was adopted. This month votes were cast for a permanent parliament. Results will be announced in January.

Saddam's trial resumes mid-January after a recess for holidays and religious pilgrimages. A brisk, no-nonsense resumption — with or without Saddam present — would get the year off to a solid start.