Saddam Hits The Airwaves
Shortly after the U.S. cruise missles hit Baghdad last night, Saddam made an appearance on Iraqi state television. Obviously, a rare appearance by the reclusive Saddam was bound to be deconstructed by the Western media and military.
The headline in my local newspaper's online story was "Puffy, fatigued Saddam appears on state TV", which for a moment conjured a mental image for me of a beaten down Saddam and Sean "Puffy" Combs taking the podium.
Saddam gets major props here for busting out his Harry Caray glasses.
What to make of his subdued nature, or the "puffiness" of his face? (I hear Iraqi TV always adds an extra 20 pounds...) Could it be subterfuge? Hell, we don't even know when that address was taped. He might be dead now, for all we know, or well outside the country. Saddam is tricky, they say. You'd have to be tricky to stay on top of a murderous regime in an area of simmering and long-standing tribal conflict, wouldn't you?
It is a little-known fact that the U.S. attack, also coincides with Sweeps Week for Iraqi Television. Of course, the Saddam video is a real coup for the State TV station. Not that they need it; they really killed the competition in the last ratings period.
9:45:56 AM 
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