You're joking, right? These are the "good ol' days" for Saddam. He has consolidated power, continued building palaces, and ended hostilities with some of his erstwhile competitors in the Middle East.
Things just don't get any better than that when you're a sociopathic dictator.
When your people are dying of disease due to lack of medicine, believe me, things are not so good. No leader needs that kind of unrest. And before the Gulf War, Saddam didn't need those "competitors". Iraq, along with Israel, was the regional superpower.
BTW, since you noticed, who do you think caused all of these "erstwhile competitors" (putting it mildly, hated enemies would be more accurate) to fall head over heels for Saddam?