New U.N. Chief Defends Death Penalty for Hussein

Hmmmm, I think I'm gonna like this guy....

UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 2 -- U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki Moon said Tuesday that Iraq and other countries have the right to impose death penalty, adding that the world should never forget Saddam Hussein's "heinous crimes."

Ban's first public reaction to Hussein's execution signaled sharp break from his predecessor, Kofi Annan, an ardent death-penalty critic who opposed U.N. participation in Iraqi war crimes tribunal that sentenced Hussein to die. Human rights advocates expressed concern that Ban's comments lend credibility to what they see as flawed trial of the former Iraqi leader, and complained that he could set back efforts to abolish the death penalty.

Remarks suggest that former South Korean foreign minister, who began a five- year term on Monday, would defer to the United Nations' 192 member states on some of the day's most controversial and unsettled issues. Nearly 70 countries, including the United States and South Korea, retain the death penalty.

Lucid analysis and common sense from the leader of the UN? I think I maybe better sit down.