"Nice guy in a nasty situation"

Channel 4's Jon Snow has been making the news again - well, at least on Twitter. Even by his standards, this is extraordinary:

Former Iraqi Foreign Minister Tariq Aziz has died in jail: Nice guy in a nasty situation - made no better by Bush/BLair's Shock and Awe

— Jon Snow (@jonsnowC4) June 5, 2015

Here's a flavour of some of the reaction:

@jonsnowC4 You have to be kidding re Tariq Aziz, Jon. He was the ‘beard’ on a fascist government. The Ribbentrop of Iraq.

— David Aaronovitch (@DAaronovitch) June 5, 2015

@jonsnowC4 "Nice guy"? On what basis do you make that judgement - he was pleasant to a western journalist (yourself)? Losing the plot Jon.

— Colin Talbot (@colinrtalbot) June 5, 2015

@jonsnowC4 Tariq Aziz - nice guy? Really?

— Tony McNulty (@Tony_McNulty) June 5, 2015

@jonsnowC4 I can't believe you have just called Tariq Aziz a nice guy. Wow. Seriously need to rethink that statement.

— Ranj Talabany (@ranjtalabany) June 5, 2015

Wow. @jonsnowC4 just described Tariq Aziz, Saddam's foreign spox and apologist for Halabja massacre as a "nice guy." https://t.co/e6ttb2zOHv

— Shiraz Maher (@ShirazMaher) June 5, 2015

@jonsnowC4 is this for real Jon? I sure hope not.

— Maajid Nawaz (@MaajidNawaz) June 5, 2015

Everything that's wrong with the British Left handily summarised in one tweet https://t.co/SjCWFqLVWk

— Nick Cohen (@NickCohen4) June 5, 2015

Undeterred, Jon Snow ploughed on (channeling Peter Simple's Dr Heinz Kiosk):

@RobbieTravers so why do you think he was never dealt with as a war criminal? There is no black and white in Iraq we are all tainted

— Jon Snow (@jonsnowC4) June 5, 2015

@jonsnowC4 @jeremyduns @RobbieTravers People talk about 'moral equivalence'. Here it is, in a tweet.

— Stuart Ritchie (@StuartJRitchie) June 5, 2015

.@jonsnowC4 @RobbieTravers No. We aren't all tainted. Whatsoever.

— Louise Mensch (@LouiseMensch) June 5, 2015