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If the International Criminal Court is about to issue an arrest warrant for you on charges of genocide, what might be the worst way to project an air of innocence to the world? Cue Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, whose strategy of choice in the face of international criminal charges is to threaten more violence.

Yesterday, Bashir's party issued a statement on state TV declaring that any indictment against the president -- which was issued this morning -- would cause "more violence and blood" in Darfur. Funny, since I could have sworn that Bashir has always claimed that he has no control over the atrocities there.