War criminal at the UN

According to Ha'aretz, Ariel Sharon used his speech at the UN to address his own Likud party, not as an election pitch but a farewell speech.

Sharon's aides promised the speech would not be directed at the Likud Central Committee, and indeed it sounded like the prime minister's statement of farewell to his party. This is not the way people in the Likud talk, and Sharon appeared to understand that he has no chance of winning in the Likud and must embark on a new political way. This way heads toward the center, toward a public that wants peace and quiet and is willing to give up more territories in addition to the Gaza Strip. The speech in Hebrew, on prime time television, was intended to convey this message to every home in Israel.

Apparently Sharon's speech borrowed heavily from both Golda Meir and Yitzhak Rabin before him. There references to peace "for our children and grandchildren" and an

apology for choosing the army and war as a way of life, which was forced on him instead of the farmwork he loved.

But then he went and spoiled it by lobbying Tony Blair for his war criminal henchmen.

Alluding the arrest warrant issued in Britain against Major General Doron Almog, he said to Blair: "I want to visit Britain, but I'm not sure I can, because of my 32 wonderful years in the army. I remember British prisons are not so pleasant."

After "apologising" for "choosing" wars that were "forced" on him, he then described his war criminal career as "wonderful." No change there then.