I guess that Saddam wasn't quite as paranoid as his hero, Stalin. "Uncle Joe" would never have allowed anyone to get his thumbprint, or if he didn't get it back would've had the NKVD/KGB put an ax through someone's head. I think that it would be the height of irony if his hubris in using his arms and thumbprint for a "victory" arch ended up helping to prove that he was wormfood.
Oh, and that arch has to come down. Melt the steel in it and use it to build something that will actually help people over there.