I heard on FNC that the gallows and the rope have been constructed specifically to break his neck quickly so that he will NOT linger but die muy pronto. It was the Americans who helped with that, I heard, but the Iraqis wanted it so that they could not be accused of cruel and unusual punishement. Whether all this is true I don't know, but it sounds plausible.
Earlier, reports were published that gallows for Hussein have been installed in Baghdad. CBS channel even informed that during his way from the camera to the gallows he would be accompanied by a cameraman. It has not been reported who the footage will be used in future.
http://www.regnum.ru/english/762841.html