Conrad Black preparing for “war” against the U.S. justice system—also, working out

We had to admit we were a touch disappointed when Conrad Black’s re-sentencing hearing last week didn’t provoke the usual hyperbolic insanity from the media and the standard puffed-up rhetorical flourish from the Lord. But it turns out Black was just saving up all that pomp and bravado for an email exchange with the Toronto Star, and we’re delighted he decided against going gently into the good night. According to those emails, Black is preparing to get even with the U.S. judicial system and everyone who’s mocked him for his legal troubles in recent years. By our count that amounts to a heck of a lot of people—but no worries, apparently he’s also preparing to get buff.

The Star has the story:

“This is a war, and wars don’t end until the fight stops,” Black, 66, told the Star in a candid series of emails Monday.

“We are moving to a battlefield that is a much more level battlefield than an American criminal court, where the government almost always wins, and not with a fig leaf of fake, retrieved counts, as in this case.”…

And as he readies to go back in six weeks, either to Coleman or possible to another facility closer to the Canadian border, Black shrugged off the setback, saying, “I’m looking forward to a holy crusade to reduce weight and tone up muscles, and seven to eight months is no problem.”

A trim and toned Conrad Black leaving federal prison a year from now to go on some kind of literary/ego-revenge smackdown of his critics is going to be both fun to watch and, who knows, maybe even easy on the eyes. It’s almost enough for us to wish he could get out of the sin bin early. Of course, then he might lose his muse. So, on second thought, Black better stay in prison and get good and angry. But once he’s out—critics be warned.

• Conrad Black preparing to wage war on U.S. justice system [Toronto Star]