I put this up because I saw this picture on the front page of New York Times Online. What a brilliant portait. The shot was taken by one of the many great photographers at the Agence France-Presse. The cigar smoking Aziz, whisps of smoke trailing off in the distance, pictured in front of a massive yet blurry mural of Saddam. Fantastic!

Here's a bit of the story

Tariq Aziz, the deputy prime minister of Iraq under Saddam Hussein, has been taken into custody, the Pentagon said late this afternoon.

Mr. Aziz had been the principal international voice of the Hussein government for a decade and was one of the most familiar figures to American television viewers, in part because he often spoke for Baghdad's interests at the United Nations.

Mr. Aziz was number 43 on the list of the 55 most-wanted members of Saddam Hussein's aides. (He was the eight of spades on the cards distributed by American forces.)

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