"Let the jury consider their verdict," the King said, for about the twentieth time that day.

"No, no!" said the Queen. "Sentence first -- verdict afterwards."

"Stuff and nonsense!" said Alice loudly. "The idea of having the sentence first!"

"Hold your tongue!" said the Queen, turning purple.

"I won't!" said Alice.

"Off with her head!" the Queen shouted at the top of her voice. Nobody moved.

"Who cares for you?' said Alice, (she had grown to her full size by this time.) "You're nothing but a pack of cards!"

Surprise! contrary to what most of us may have assumed, there is no verdict yet in the political show trial of Saddam Hussein even if the sentence has arrived, fabulously, just in time for the American voting audience.

[thanks to Barry for the news tip, to Google and Billmon for pulling up the Lewis Carroll text, and to ebbemunk for the John Tenniel image]