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.