The Buck Stops....Over There

What do you do when you stand accused? Accuse someone else, of course, and hope that it sticks.

That, in a nutshell, is the strategy that will be employed by attorneys defending Conrad Black. In court, the prosecution painted the former media mogul as a thief, a criminal who took money from a corporation to fund his lavish lifestyle. The attorneys representing the government promise to demonstrate exactly how Mr. Black and his cronies helped themselves to $60 million of corporate funds, to pay for trips to Seattle and Bora-Bora, to purchase luxury co-op apartments in Manhattan, and to cover the costs of some lavish parties. Mr. Black was the ringleader of this cabal, directing his underlings to lie to the Hollinger board and fool such wise men as former governor Jim Thompson. Evil in a lavender tie, that was Conrad Black.

Not so, contends the defense team. It was the evil cabal that worked against the sainted Mr. Black, doing their naughty deeds behind his back and then turning on him when they were caught. Attorney Edward Genson blames the whole thing on Mr. Radler, one of Conrad Black's cronies, who is working with the government to lighten his sentence following his conviction.

As for that whole nobility business, Mr. Genson did a fine job of blowing smoke up the jury's arse, making light of Black's bombast and swollen ego. Means nothing, he said, downplaying Black's own written words about his rights to the company being the same as the rights of nobility. So the man thinks he's king, can you hold that against him? So he thinks his shit doesn't stink, well, is that a hanging offense? That lavish lifestyle? Just business, really, what with a successful company needing to put on a good face. Why, the poor man doesn't even have a personal life. It's all business, all the time.

Perhaps Canadians are more forgiving of someone who longs for a noble title. They're more closely tied to England than the average Chicagoan, and not as likely to be descended from some Clan na Gael supporter who gave up his hard earned wages to fund an invasion of Canada back in the 1870's. Fewer Canadians would have inherited a hatred of all things British, a genetic marker that has been handed down through multiple generations of Irish-Americans in Chicago. Triggered by British-style snobbery, this gene may be expressed at some point during the trial. Not that it's a crime to be a complete asshole, but the jurors are products of their DNA, after all.