Moussaoui Changes Tune, Looks For Death.

The big breaking news right now is that Zacarias Moussaoui has pulled off a quite amazing preformance in court, over the head of his own attorney.

He has testified that he was meant to fly a fifth plane on 9/11, along with British shoe-bomber Richard Reid and three others yet unnamed, and fly it into the White House. He had previously pled guilty to being an Al Qaida operative.

One passage from the Washington Post's account leaps out at me:

Moussaoui's statements contradicted what he told the court when he pleaded guilty. In his plea statement, he insisted that he had no involvement in Sept. 11 and that his attack on the White House was to come as part of a second wave of attacks. His testimony today was delivered in a calm and polite manner that was directly opposite the often angry and rambling discourses he has given in past court appearances.

I've no idea which of the two versions is the true one, but perhaps Richard Reid will have something to say about it later. As you can imagine, the Rightwing blogs are in full-on righteous and bloodthirsty vindication mode.

My gut feeling is that this is a man who has given up the will to live or has discovered the will to die. He is trying to force the jury into making him a martyr. It's the likliest explanation, I feel, for the change of tone as well as the change of story. John Podhoretz at NRO says he's certain to be executed now.