Israel believes Saddam spoke live in morning TV broadcast

Jerusalem Post ^ | Mar. 20, 2003 | HERB KEINON

[Land_of_Lincoln_John]

Israeli Foreign Ministry experts believe that Saddam Hussein was speaking live on camera when he addressed the Iraqi nation this morning on television and radio, shortly after the US launched a war against him.

Officials at the ministry's Center for Political Studies reached this conclusion largely based on the fact that Saddam was wearing glasses, and also because the Arabic he spoke was not very sophisticated, suggesting the speech was put together on the spur of the moment.

Had the speech been staged, it is unlikely that Saddam would have been shown wearing glasses, or appearing to read his remarks rather than having them memorized, the officials said.

Saddam also appeared to be under a lot of pressure and more disorganized than usual, when he made the speech, in which he characteristically lashed out at "criminal Zionism" in addition to the United States, it was noted.

In the speech, Saddam accused the United States of committing a "shameful crime" by attacking Iraq and urged the Iraqi people to "go draw your sword" against the enemy.

"We promise you that Iraq, its leadership and its people will stand up to the evil invaders, and we will take them to such limits that they will lose their patience in achieving their plans, which are pushed by criminal Zionism," he said.

[ChipShot]

Exactly

[tractorman]

When it first came on, I was asking myself, "Who's this guy?"
I figured it was the guy who was going to introduce Saddam and then they said it was Saddam and the speech began.

I thought he looked like Ralph Kramden all dressed up for the Raccoon lodge meeting.

[aristeides]

I don't think Stalin would have been up and about just before dawn. Would Stalin's imitator Saddam?

[aristeides]

Did any of yall hear what sounded like a gun shot during this speech?

Maybe they were letting the double know what would happen to him if he didn't do a good job.

I wonder if they were satisfied with his performance.

[aristeides]

If they were worried about whether the double would do an adequate performance, they could have taped the double after the attack, decided they were satisfied with his performance, and then broadcast the tape.

[eno_]

Maybe Saddam is off visiting Osama.

Precisely. Saddam's death will not be confirmed until it is obvious to everyone. Until then, it is to our advantage that his command structure keeps trying to contact him.

Osama will never be found. Instead he will be forgotten.

[Dr. Eckleburg]

Whoever was the target last night is now one with the desert.

The Saddam on TV looked more like Jerry Colona than Baghdad's badguy.

Everything's on track and nothing is happening that hasn't been planned for months.

[Grampa Dave]

In this Sun picture of ChIraq morphing into Saddam. The end Saddam is probably Saddam a few years ago. The cleft in his chin and the two sub cu growths/lumps on his left lower cheek near his mouth are tell tale signs.

[Grampa Dave]

This is not Soddomite in the 60 Minute photo below. It is a look alike!

[AmusedBystander]

When I saw the photo, I asked. Who's that? Wasn't Saddam, imho, but fits the "Saddam look-alike" mold very well. Any bets?

Have you never seen a middle aged woman without her make-up? They always look like a different person.

We are just used to seeing "old" video of Saddam when he was in his prime. Now we are seeing a "new" video of an "old" Saddam.

[San Jacinto]

That wa not Saddam and it was taped in my opinion.

I think that if it had been pre-taped, it would have been smoother. It looked very hastily prepared to me.

Whether it was Saddam or not is a different issue. Perhaps the government can tell through voice analysis.

[ARCADIA]

If it really was the authentic Saddam speaking, then Saddam seemed to be shocked and awed by the attempt on him because he looked terrible. Gaunt. Robotic. Flipping over pages on a notepad in a move even a high school debater would shun.

Absolutely. Also, one or more of his beloved boys may have bitten the dust.

[Grampa Dave]

We have a long time friend, who is retired from government service. Lets say he worked in a lot of Embassies in the middle east during the 1960/70's.

He saw Saddam in person a couple of times. He has felt for years that we have not seen a picture of the real Saddam for years. What we have seen are the younger and healthier doubles as in the Blather picture above.

He felt that the picture on tv last night might be the older and more fragile Saddam. If so, Saddam like OBL was, is not in great health or physical shape.

Of course this observation is like all others on this thread. When it is combined with $5 bill, it will enable you to buy a Starbucks coffee.

[AgThorn]

To this one observer, I think it was a double. CNN did a side by side photo shoot, and there were two moles on the real guy that weren't on the newscast.

[SJackson]

For what it's worth.

CBS: 'Senior Officials' Think Saddam May Not Have Survived

We know for certain he's either dead, or alive.

[Grampa Dave]

Lets hope he is dead. For now I would put my $5's on the side of Israeli Intel instead of anything CBS comes up with.

There is a thread about Soddamn's son Uday being dead from a CVA. Maybe this is a cover to hide the fact that he got Tomahawked.

[Eva]

I have been thinking the same thing, that we have not seen Saddam in a very long time. I read that Saddam had cancer in '98 and had the radiation equipment shipped into one of his palaces for treatment. Also, I remember Greta VonSustern and one of her guests having a good chuckle at the thought of Dan Rather sitting across the table from a body double of Saddam Hussein for an hour and half and not knowing it.

[austex]

It could be a taped double - while they are ushering saddam out into a bunker they grab poor terrified double guy - hand him a handwritten speech and say get out there and do your best. I'll tell ya - when he came on, I said to my boyfriend "man he looks way older than usual" just a gut feeling.

[Grampa Dave]

My friend believes that he is very ill and fragile. If he has had cancer and has been treated for it, that might explain why we haven't seen the real Saddam for years.