For his outstanding service in leading America and Britain into an illegal war of aggression that has murdered hundreds of thousands of innocent people in Iraq, as well as his heroic role in running guns and money to the dope-dealing terrorist bands that sought to overthrow the legitimate government of Nicaragua, Richard Armitage has been secretly knighted by Queen Elizabeth Deuce, as the Guardian reports today:

"Honoured with a KCMG [Knight Commander of St. Michael and St. George, second highest rank of British knighthood] is Richard Armitage, deputy secretary of state under Colin Powell between 2001 and 2005 and a leading player in rallying diplomatic support for the Iraq invasion. Mr Armitage's role in the Iran-contra arms smuggling scandal was controversial enough to prevent him becoming army secretary in 1989. He worked alongside Oliver North to trade arms to Iran illegally and siphon profits to the Nicaraguan contra rebels."

"[Armitage] is one of 100 non-UK citizens honoured since last May who are named in a list released by the Foreign Office after a parliamentary question from the Liberal Democrat MP Norman Baker. Unlike honours to UK citizens, those for foreigners are not generally announced..."

If Armitage gets this kind of gilded wheeze for mere minioning in some of the most murderous operations of the past half-century, then great googily-moogily, what's George W. going to get, when he retires, for actually being the trigger-man for the world-convulsing killing spree in Iraq? Not to mention his relentless and ruthless gutting of the U.S. Constitution? What honor would suffice for this sterling service? No mere knighthood or baronage will do; Lizzie will have to adopt him into the royal family or something, name him heir to the throne.

After all, his whole life's work has been aimed at overthrowing the American Revolution and restoring feudal rule by aristocrats, warlords, religious cranks and simpering courtiers. Why not just bring the whole thing full circle back to Buckingham Palace?