More good news from Iraq:

The Iraqi trial judge who sentenced former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein to death has asked for asylum in Britain, Al Jazeera television said on Friday.

The television's London correspondent said that Raouf Abdel Rahman had asked for asylum after going to Britain with his family in mid-December on a visitor's visa.

"The information we have is that the judge sought asylum for reasons including that he fears for his own life and the lives of family members ... The application is being considered by the Home Office," said the correspondent, Nasser al-Badri, citing unnamed official British sources....

Oh, don't be silly -- he's not afraid for his life and his family. All that progress we've made in Iraq? Surely he just wants to step back and admire it from a distance.