GEORGE GALLOWAY, the former Labour MP, yesterday stormed off a news show, denouncing the interview as a "set-up". The former Glasgow Kelvin MP, who started his own anti-war party Respect, told the ITV lunchtime news presenters that they were "liars". Mr Galloway, who is trying to unseat Labour candidate Oona King from Bethnal Green and Bow, was furious at the suggestion that he was a supporter of Saddam Hussein as an 11-year-old clip was shown of him telling the former Iraqi dictator: "I salute your courage, your strength, your indefatigability." Sucks when they got you on tape George.
Mr Galloway said he had already explained himself 11 years ago and stressed that he had been referring to the courage of the Iraqi people.
Suuuuuuuuuure you were...
He claimed the interview had deliberately been "teed-up", adding: "You are a bunch of liars; everybody knows you are a bunch of liars.
You gotta admit, the man's an expert on "liars"...
"I am not an admirer of Saddam Hussein, I was an opponent of Saddam Hussein when you'd never heard of him. I used to be demonstrating outside the Iraqi embassy in London when British governments and businessmen were selling him guns."
Suuuuuuuuure you were...
The clip had been edited out of context, he said, asking the ITV presenters whether they wanted to talk about the "100,000 people killed by Bush and Blair."
Where you getting your figures, George? Is it enough so you'd be willing to head over and let them beat the shit out of you again? It might make everything okay.
Mr Galloway was also angry at a question from a Scottish floating voter taking part in the programme's "Ballot Box Jury", which suggested he was a "loose cannon". He said that a panellist had to be found in Scotland as they could not find a voter in the London constituency he is contesting to "attack" him.
An ITV spokesman said Mr Galloway tore off his microphone and left the studio after his interview. He also vowed never to give another ITN interview.
Will ITN ever get over it?