(First, I figured this would belong here in GD… please forgive me, and bump it to the correct forum if not.)
So, what does everyone think about Saddam after the US strike on the bunker, Wednesday night (Thursday morning)?
After watching the video of Saddam speaking, following the attack, I am very torn over what I think. I am really not sure if it was him giving that speech, or not. Here are some things I noticed, and am wondering if anyone else noticed the same, or can debunk these things:
I thought it was kind of “out of the ordinary” for Saddam to be reading his speech from a paper, or card. I don’t really remember him doing something like that before. This is just something that seemed weird to me.
As far as looks go, it looks (almost) exactly like Saddam. Something seemed kind of odd about his appearance, but I can’t really pinpoint what it is. Something I noticed, though, was with the Saddam who was giving the post-strike speech: It looked like the right side of his mouth kind of “drooped” a little bit (that is, hung a little bit lower than the left side) whenever he opened his mouth to speak. I can’t tell if Saddam’s mouth does this in the video where we claim it is the “real” Saddam.
Anyway, those are just some things I noticed… can’t think of anything else offhand. How about anyone else?
I thought he looked quite a bit older than usual and “not quite right”, too. But maybe that’s what he looks like when deprived of sleep. Time will tell.
First I want to know where “Saddam” got those big a$$ glasses!! Those were cool in a retro sort of way. As far as the face hiding behind those giant glasses - right. He looked “Saddamish” ---- or “Saddam like,” but not quite like Saddam.
I agree… I was wondering how much that would play into it.
Tigers2B1
I am glad I wasn’t the only one thinking this! Maybe they’re just reading glasses, he was using for reading off of the paper… really Really thick reading glasses.
AFAICR and from several sources:
The footage showed an impromptu speech, no prompter, I think it was mentioned before that Saddam usually uses contacts, appearing with glasses would fit a picture of a guy on the run that had barely escaped a strike. If he is still alive, I think he is scared shitless and running around without communications, which is one of the reasons why there is no apparent leadership now.
Good call, GIGObuster. All of that would make sense to me.
How about the “lower hanging” right side of Saddam’s mouth, when he was making the most recent speech…? Has anyone else noticed this, or have I completely lost it now?
According to his ex-mistress Saddam suffered a stroke a few years ago and was very good at hiding the impairments that resulted. Perhaps stress, fatigue, and other factors…perhaps another stroke has aggravated these symptoms.
I haven’t seen a good picture of the tape yet. Look at his ears in comparison with a real picture of Saddam. That is a pretty good way of identifying a person that most peole don’t usually notice.
Something to consider. At this point, with the U.S. saying that it isn’t sure if Saddam is dead or not, and thus holding off on the major assault, doesn’t Saddam have an incentive to stay quiet? Or even to have some of his lead guys pretend to surrender? I mean, the longer they can hold out, in their minds, the better. They’d much rather have U.S. ground troops reach their positions so they can fight conventionally rather than simply being laid waste from above.
Sure. I’ll bet this is a tough call. The administration has to weigh all the intelligence it’s getting, and decide if the possibility of ending the war without a major bombardment is worth the added risk to the troops.
That’s why Bush and Rumsfeld and Tenet earn the big bucks.
It makes sense that he would have a large number of pre-recorded statements as a man on the run or in hiding might find it impossible to stop for a camera.
If he is dead, these pre-recorded statements could temporarily prop up the regime and confuse the enemies of the regime long enough for his sons to secure power for themselves. Sadam inherited his position from his father and it would seem that his sons are the heirs to his empire.
Uh, no, he didn’t. He helped lead a revolt in 1968 that brought the Baath Party to power under General Ahmed Hassan Bakr, with Saddam as “Vice-Chairman of the Revolutionary Command Council”. Then in 1979 he deposed Ahmed and assumed the Presidency.
One of the more interesting things I read (which I can’t find now, but I think it was in the WSJ. If someone can find the link, I would be most appreciative) is that the US smoked out Sadaam’s location with the whole Traiq Aziz is defecting story. That brought Tariq into the public eye at his press conference. Then, follow Tariq to whereever he is going and you most likely have found Sadaam.
One thing I haven’t seen mentioned yet is that the notebook SH was reading from wasn’t brand new. A few minutes and a few pages into his speech, he switches to a different notebook.
The type of notebook he was using (top-bound, 8 1/2x11) usually has 50 pages. Anyone remember how many pages he flipped through before switching notebooks? 5? 10? I know it wasn’t 50. One can presume that the first 40-odd pages of the first notebook were already used, most likely for other speeches.
This, along with the lack of SH’s typical apocalyptic rhetoric, and the relatively calm delivery of the speech, would seem to support the idea that Saddam taped multiple messages in advance - which one to be aired depending on the contingency.
I just had an idea-those of you who have done psy-ops please comment!
We get an actor who looks like Saddam, and put him on TV-broadcast to the Iraqi people. The stand-in will give a speech accepting surrender, and will urge his army to stop hostilities!
This would be a cheap way to end the conflict!
Maybe they’re just reading glasses, he was using for reading off of the paper… really Really thick reading glasses.