# Why were they checking in Saddam's mouth? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 15, 2003, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-were-they-checking-in-saddams-mouth/219037 "2003-12-15T01:57:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![aahala](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a88e4f/32.png) [@aahala](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aahala)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2003, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-were-they-checking-in-saddams-mouth/219037/21 "2003-12-15T18:52:40Z")
They were checking to see if the light would come out one of his ears. ---
**Author:** ![Jurph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/50afbb/32.png) [@Jurph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jurph)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2003, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-were-they-checking-in-saddams-mouth/219037/22 "2003-12-15T19:08:21Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by friedo \* > **…_uvula_. It’s right up there with _vas deferens_.** …not unless you’re built a little differently than I am. Or talking about two different people. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![gluteus\_maximus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f17d59/32.png) [@gluteus\_maximus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gluteus_maximus)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2003, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-were-they-checking-in-saddams-mouth/219037/23 "2003-12-15T19:18:49Z")
He was pointing towards his lymph glands… maybe he’s got an infection. Then again, maybe he was just saying, “I’ve been here since April, and, as you can see, they haven’t let me shave even once! With a box full of thousands of pictures of Ben Franklin, you’d think that somebody could’ve found me a Bic razor!” ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2003, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-were-they-checking-in-saddams-mouth/219037/24 "2003-12-15T19:37:51Z")
hijack, but related question: How do you suppose some individual soldier found the entrance to the “spider hole”? And who was the brave guy who crawled down into it, knowing that Saddam has always claimed that he would go down fighting? A small pistol is all he needed in that hole to kill a couple soldiers. You would think he would want to put up some token resistance., before,say, being flushed out with a smoke grenade or tear gas. ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Matrix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/34f0e0/32.png) [@Red\_Matrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Matrix)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2003, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-were-they-checking-in-saddams-mouth/219037/25 "2003-12-15T19:59:28Z")
They say he bit off a soldier’s thumb, and they were just seeing if they could find it. Not really. ---
**Author:** ![CheekyMonkey613](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e480ec/32.png) [@CheekyMonkey613](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CheekyMonkey613)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2003, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-were-they-checking-in-saddams-mouth/219037/26 "2003-12-15T20:08:43Z")
Never been trained militarily. Usually not even remotely interested. BUT! My guess would be that they stuck a mirror down there first. Though it was described as quite small, [the Associated Press](http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGA47THG8OD.html) released a description of where he was. The description sounds much bigger than my original impression. Plus, [Saddam reportedly said, “I’m Saddam Hussein. I’m the president of Iraq and I’m willing to negotiate.”](http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=3993407) I gotta admit, though I’m not fan of Bush’s, I laughed when I heard that they replied, “President Bush sends his regards.” I’m thinking maybe they saw he was armed and with the use of a mirror, told him to come towards the hole with his hands up. Something to that effect. Apparently Saddam bumped his noggin on the way out of there. I’m thinking they pulled him up. I don’t think someone got down IN the hole with him. But like I said, I have absolutely no credentials in this kind of thing. I’m just thinking THAT would be common sense. But G-d knows how much we use that nowadays! LOL ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2003, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-were-they-checking-in-saddams-mouth/219037/27 "2003-12-15T20:11:43Z")
Ewww, it occurred to me they must have done a full cavity search on him… The guy who got that job deserves a medal. ---
**Author:** ![ratatoskK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ratatoskk/32/2987_2.png) [@ratatoskK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratatoskK)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2003, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-were-they-checking-in-saddams-mouth/219037/28 "2003-12-15T20:19:29Z")
So where’s the video of the full-cavity search? ---
**Author:** ![LemonThrower](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d2c977/32.png) [@LemonThrower](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LemonThrower)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2003, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-were-they-checking-in-saddams-mouth/219037/29 "2003-12-15T20:44:37Z")
I think Saddam said those words right after the soldier yelled “Fire in the Hole” and was about to toss a grenade in there. ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2003, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-were-they-checking-in-saddams-mouth/219037/30 "2003-12-15T21:21:53Z")
I heard he complained about a sore tooth. But the Iragi information minister said _“Saddam asked for a mouth exam but was really infecting the infidels with billions of germs after spending nine months eating food encrusted with rat poop. It was his plan all along to bring the infidels into the ring of death. The whole infantry is now infected with various rat diseases. Like your rat leader Bush, you will all die.”_ ---
**Author:** ![hermann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b487fb/32.png) [@hermann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hermann)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2003, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-were-they-checking-in-saddams-mouth/219037/31 "2003-12-15T22:57:22Z")
Barney Fife. Lots of brave talk in public, but a coward when alone. ---
**Author:** ![effac3d](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b487fb/32.png) [@effac3d](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/effac3d)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2003, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-were-they-checking-in-saddams-mouth/219037/32 "2003-12-16T06:17:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ratatoskK \* > \*\*So where’s the video of the full-cavity search? \*\* The lack of it shows that the internet does have a limit to depravity,despite what the general consensus is. ---
**Author:** ![Master\_Wang-Ka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/master_wang-ka/32/3325_2.png) [@Master\_Wang-Ka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Master_Wang-Ka)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2003, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-were-they-checking-in-saddams-mouth/219037/33 "2003-12-16T06:59:26Z")
> [@](#): > > the internet does have a limit to depravity,despite what the general consensus is. Cooda fooled _me._ Not that I’m particularly anxious to have a look up Saddam Hussein’s butthole, but considering some of the emails I get on a regular basis, I’m kinda surprised no one’s tried to sell it to me… ---
**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:** [December 16, 2003, 7:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-were-they-checking-in-saddams-mouth/219037/34 "2003-12-16T07:41:54Z")
“Dead?! I didn’t even know he was sick!” (obscure Warner Bros. cartoon reference) ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2003, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-were-they-checking-in-saddams-mouth/219037/35 "2003-12-16T11:06:53Z")
> [@](#): > > Though it was described as quite small, the Associated Press released a description of where he was. The description sounds much bigger than my original impression. I think you might be getting confused between the hole in which he was found (very small indeed) and the farmhouse in which he is presumed to have lived for most of the time when the coast was clear. This was where the kitchen, bedroom etc that are described in the site you linked to were. > [@](#): > > They were checking to see if the light would come out one of his ears. Hmm. Have you seen the [Steve Bell cartoon](http://www.guardian.co.uk/cartoons/stevebell/0,7371,1107961,00.html) in today’s _Guardian_, by any chance? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![quiltguy154](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/ad7895/32.png) [@quiltguy154](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quiltguy154)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2003, 11:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-were-they-checking-in-saddams-mouth/219037/36 "2003-12-16T11:29:47Z")
**Saddam Hussein’s Uvula** - band name! ---
**Author:** ![Floater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dc4da7/32.png) [@Floater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floater)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2003, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-were-they-checking-in-saddams-mouth/219037/37 "2003-12-16T13:40:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by LemonThrower \* > \*\*I think Saddam said those words right after the soldier yelled “Fire in the Hole” and was about to toss a grenade in there. \*\* According to what I’ve heard or read in Swedish media that is exactly what happened. ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2003, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-were-they-checking-in-saddams-mouth/219037/38 "2003-12-16T14:07:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Bryan Ekers \* > \*\*(obscure Warner Bros. cartoon reference) \*\* “I wonder what they’ll do with the Kaiser?” _right back atcha!_ 😃 ---
**Author:** ![DreadCthulhu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/db5fbb/32.png) [@DreadCthulhu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DreadCthulhu)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2003, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-were-they-checking-in-saddams-mouth/219037/39 "2003-12-16T22:18:48Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by r\_k \* > \*\* > > Hmm. Have you seen the [Steve Bell cartoon](http://www.guardian.co.uk/cartoons/stevebell/0,7371,1107961,00.html) in today’s _Guardian_, by any chance? 😉 \*\* But the World Weekly News said Bat Boy was fighting on our side. Why are they searching him? 😕 😕 😕 ---
**Author:** ![clayton\_e](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c57346/32.png) [@clayton\_e](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clayton_e)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2003, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-were-they-checking-in-saddams-mouth/219037/40 "2003-12-16T23:11:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by effac3d \* > \*\*The lack of it shows that the internet does have a limit to depravity,despite what the general consensus is. \*\* I’m sure if it were in anybody’s hands but the government’s it would be plastered on kazaa more than Pam and Tom. Don’t ever doubt the depravity of the internet. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-were-they-checking-in-saddams-mouth/219037.md?page=1)