The Fever Swamps of Beijing...

Now the mandarins of Beijing worry that there is a conspiracy afoot to foil the election of hand-picked Donald Tsang. Anything less than a Saddam Hussein-esque 100% yes vote is looked upon as a defeat for the mad-mandarins. And they are worried also that a conspiracy plot is being hatched, whereas a declared candidate feins illness and gets the independent judiciary here to delay the coronation past the appointed date of July 10th.

There are ``grave worries,'' said a source, that a non-Tsang contender for chief executive could ``fall ill'' and seek to delay the election thus derailing the mainland's careful plans to have a new chief executive elected on July 10, three days before the current hand-picked election committee's term ends.

Sources say Beijing is convinced that the democratic camp has a devious plan to feign the illness of a contender in order to sabotage the election.

Jeez, these guys aren't for real are they. But sadly they are in power and the fever swamps of Beijing just get nuttier and nuttier every day.