# Looks like Saddam is alive **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [April 4, 2003, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looks-like-saddam-is-alive/166473 "2003-04-04T15:39:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![rsa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/839c29/32.png) [@rsa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rsa)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looks-like-saddam-is-alive/166473/1 "2003-04-04T15:39:21Z")
Saddam Hussein just made a statement on Iraqi TV. For the first time his statement made references to the results of the war so it is clearly quite recent even if it was not live. He specifically mentioned the downing of the Apache helicopter by a “villager”. He also talked about the Coalition bypassing the Iraqi defenses around Baghdad. The only question is whether it was really Saddam or one of his doubles. I don’t know if that qualifies as a Great Debate, but it seams most war threads are posted here. ---
**Author:** ![rsa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/839c29/32.png) [@rsa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rsa)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looks-like-saddam-is-alive/166473/2 "2003-04-04T15:54:38Z")
Here’s the initial AP report. [Saddam Urges Iraqis to Strike Coalition](http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=540&ncid=716&e=1&u=/ap/20030404/ap_on_re_mi_ea/war_iraq_saddam) ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looks-like-saddam-is-alive/166473/3 "2003-04-04T15:56:20Z")
I don’t have any questions about the authenticity of this, but here’s my question. Saddam Hussein is apparently hugely wealthy. He has several large compounds referred to as palaces. So how come every video of his meetings looks like they were filmed in the meeting room of a small town Holiday Inn? ---
**Author:** ![rsa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/839c29/32.png) [@rsa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rsa)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looks-like-saddam-is-alive/166473/4 "2003-04-04T16:06:04Z")
I would think because he is probably in a bunker or something similar. I guess he didn’t feel the need for opulent surroundings during a war. ---
**Author:** ![NurseCarmen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5daacb/32.png) [@NurseCarmen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NurseCarmen)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looks-like-saddam-is-alive/166473/5 "2003-04-04T16:16:44Z")
Did you see pictures of some of his palaces before they were turned to rubble? taaa-a-a-a-acky. ---
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looks-like-saddam-is-alive/166473/6 "2003-04-04T16:26:58Z")
The only thing this says to me, is that me _maybe_ just _maybe_ have been alive 11 days ago when the Apache went down… Thats it. This is not proof in my eyes that he is alive. Why did he not reference the current date when he started his speech??? ---
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looks-like-saddam-is-alive/166473/7 "2003-04-04T16:28:54Z")
If he wanted the Iraqi people to believe he is still alive, he could have simply started his speech with " My fellow Iraqis, on this 4 day of March blah, bla blah, bla blah…" ---
**Author:** ![Joachim\_Pieper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/91b2a8/32.png) [@Joachim\_Pieper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joachim_Pieper)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looks-like-saddam-is-alive/166473/8 "2003-04-04T16:29:52Z")
Shouldn’t we be proving that he’s dead, rather than him having to prove he’s alive? He’s been asked to prove a lot of negatives recently… Cheers. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looks-like-saddam-is-alive/166473/9 "2003-04-04T16:51:24Z")
_If he wanted the Iraqi people to believe he is still alive, he could have simply started his speech with " My fellow Iraqis, on this 4 day of March blah, bla blah, bla blah…"_ I guess if he wanted to prove he was alive a month ago. 😉 Seriously, if he had said “this is the fourth of April…” people would still say he could have made several tapes mentioning future dates. To really prove it he would have to state an obvious new fact or hold up a copy of the New York Times. Since he’d like to keep the US guessing and is probably not anxious to look like a kidnap victim he might be reluctant to do either. My two cents… ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looks-like-saddam-is-alive/166473/10 "2003-04-04T19:17:41Z")
> [@](#): > > Shouldn’t we be proving that he’s dead, rather than him having to prove he’s alive? He’s been asked to prove a lot of negatives recently… Its pretty much impossible. They aren’t likely to hand over his corpse, y’know. Time alone will tell. ---
**Author:** ![nogginhead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5e9695/32.png) [@nogginhead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nogginhead)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looks-like-saddam-is-alive/166473/11 "2003-04-04T19:25:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by smiling bandit \* > \*\*Its pretty much impossible. They aren’t likely to hand over his corpse, y’know. Time alone will tell. \*\* …or not. His death will never be confirmed, and people will claim any dead body was only one of the doubles. The the ‘Boys from Brazil’ theorists will start cropping up. I think we’re in for years of Saddam sightings. ---
**Author:** ![Amp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Amp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amp)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looks-like-saddam-is-alive/166473/12 "2003-04-04T19:29:23Z")
Wow, Saddam has entered the realm of Elvis and Bigfoot. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looks-like-saddam-is-alive/166473/13 "2003-04-04T19:34:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by nogginhead \* > His death will never be confirmed, and people will claim any dead body was only one of the doubles. The the ‘Boys from Brazil’ theorists will start cropping up. Guess this is why the Bush Administration is now saying that [finding Saddam is not needed for “victory”](http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=2510530) … just like Osama bin Laden, eh? ---
**Author:** ![nogginhead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5e9695/32.png) [@nogginhead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nogginhead)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looks-like-saddam-is-alive/166473/14 "2003-04-04T19:44:59Z")
Ooh, then he can be the bogeyman that lets Ashcroft further eviscerate the Bill of Rights. Good thinking, rjung. ---
**Author:** ![ataraxy22](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ataraxy22/32/307_2.png) [@ataraxy22](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ataraxy22)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looks-like-saddam-is-alive/166473/15 "2003-04-04T20:04:30Z")
I wonder if Saddam ever read Asimov’s “Foundation” series, where the long dead Hari Seldon appears as a holographic projection during critical points in the future, with stunning prescience and understaning of the events of the particular era? ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looks-like-saddam-is-alive/166473/16 "2003-04-04T20:21:50Z")
Could it be one of his “doubles?” (Does he really have doubles? That’s outrageous!) ---
**Author:** ![nogginhead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5e9695/32.png) [@nogginhead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nogginhead)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looks-like-saddam-is-alive/166473/17 "2003-04-04T20:24:26Z")
That’s easy. All you have to do is predict everything and have helpful disciples choose the right tape to play. There was a good puzzler on Car Talk recently on the same theme: you get 8 letters predicting (correctly) the outcomes of 8 sporting events. Then a letter offering to sell you the 9th for $1000. Don’t bite! They just started with 128 letters to different people… ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looks-like-saddam-is-alive/166473/18 "2003-04-04T20:48:42Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by CarnalK \* > To really prove it he would have to state an obvious new fact or hold up a copy of the New York Times. That’s going to be difficult; the paperboy surrendered. ---
**Author:** ![herman\_and\_bill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/f1d935/32.png) [@herman\_and\_bill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/herman_and_bill)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looks-like-saddam-is-alive/166473/19 "2003-04-04T21:46:35Z")
Does anybody else think Saddam looks a lot like Walter Matteau? ---
**Author:** ![IEatFood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c5a1d2/32.png) [@IEatFood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IEatFood)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looks-like-saddam-is-alive/166473/20 "2003-04-04T22:21:18Z")
Herman. That’s funny, he sounds a lot like Watler too. I never thought of that until now though… [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looks-like-saddam-is-alive/166473.md?page=2)