Mugabe, god's leader...

The situation in Zimbabwe is deteriorating more and more, as the opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai is seeking refuge in the Dutch embassy. I have been following this growing crisis more in recent days, but apparently this gem from Mugabe alluded me until the aforelinked NYT article:

“Only God, who appointed me, will remove me, not the M.D.C., not the British,” Mr. Mugabe declared in the city of Bulawayo on Friday. “Only God will remove me!”

Senile, venal, crazy -- take your pick. The truly annoying thing about this is that the old bastard is 84 and will probably never live to see justice. Perhaps the more ludicrous quote from the article was the following:

Nonetheless, Zimbabwe’s information minister, Sikhanyiso Ndlovu, told The Associated Press that the runoff would go forward on Friday despite Mr. Tsvangirai’s departure from the race. “The Constitution does not say that if somebody drops out or decides to chicken out the runoff will not be held,” Mr. Ndlovu said.

Hope you enjoy that ministerial post while it last Mr. Ndlovu, because I'm willing to bet your chicken ass will be using all of the dirty money you've been socking away to buy yourself an exiled freedom when Mugabe finally gets the boot, or as may be the case, boots the bucket.

*** I have to admit that Condie's statement on this issue was solid. I expected a little more mamby pamby deference to the role of South Africa as mediator, but she seemed intent on doing something --- let's hope it is the right thing.