[Snerdley]

But is it to his advantage to have us believe that he may be dead?

that is the crux of the scenario. I would like to see some discussion on this.

personally, I think he's dead.

[okie01]

But is it to his advantage to have us believe that he may be dead?

that is the crux of the scenario. I would like to see some discussion on this.

personally, I think he's dead.

So far as Saddam is concerned, the perfect outcome is:

1. His Iraqi subjects believe he is alive. To date, his propaganda has aggressively supported (though not proven) this proposition.

2. But U.S. intelligence believes he is dead. And, accordingly, stops targeting him. The propaganda tapes have dropped ample hints in this direction.

Whether we are dealing with evidence or skilled disinformation is open to question.

[sweetliberty]

"personally, I think he's dead."

I'm inclined to agree, but if that is the case, who would know that for certain that is alive to tell about it. I mean, what are the chances that a bomb that took out Saddam in his bunker left anyone alive that was in close proximity to him? Which gets us back where we started...how can the bodyguard be explained? IF he was ALWAYS with Saddam and IF Saddam is toast, then why is he alive and healthy? And if he wasn't with Saddam, why wasn't he? Maybe this guy isn't who we think he is, but just another "stunt man" double. Or maybe WE are the ones playing some serious psy-ops games with them. In any case, I suspect our guys know WAY more than they're telling.