Iraq television shows Saddam leading command meeting

AFP ^ | 10/27/2003 | AFP

[N. Theknow]

Iraqi President Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) chaired a meeting of top military aides and government ministers, state television reported.

The meeting was attended by Saddam's son Qussay, who heads the elite Republican Guard, as well as Vice-President Taha Yassin Ramadan and Deputy Prime Minister Tareq Aziz, it said.

Defense Minister Sultan Hashim, Information Minister Mohamad Said al-Sahhaf, Trade Minister Mohamad Mehdi Saleh and interim Oil Minister Amer Rashid were also shown sitting around the table

Drinking from cans of New Coke.

[xJones]

It's NOT a double..it's Mde Toussaud's...

I saw that picture and wondered if they'd found a taxidermist.

Illbay, you'd asked a question earlier today about why no more mentioning of Saddam's sons, and here is a mention of the younger one. And we can take it with a grain of salt....

[Cincinatus]

On loan from Madame Tussaud's, London.

[Desecrated]

Are you denigrating me or was that a bad attempt at sarcasm? :)

[Dog]

Welcome to FR..... can you prove your statement??

[The G Man]

Was that General from the 51st division in attendance too?

:>)

[shotgun]

My brother just seen this and sent me this email of what he saw:

new Saddam film shows a pan of the room and theres a woman sitting there, then in a shot from the end of the room she's not there. also when it starts there is a guard behind saddam, then he disappears, then he pops back in.

He then said the TV talking heads were trying to determine using their infinite wisdom if it was live or memorex!

[Robert A Cook PE]

even this writer (although he tries) can pretend that those canned tapes on Manday could "prove" he's alive.

I don't think he's actually dead.

Rather, he's severely wounded, most likely drugged or drifting in and out of a coma, but NOT dead. If not dead, a face or head wound that prevents him from being photographed. Like OBL, IT's UP TO HIM to prove he's alive. We don't have to prove he's dead to take over, but the RG and terrorists won't quit until THEY are conviced he's dead. And so in the final analysis, this won't be over till a body (or the country) is found "headless."

One (or both) of the two sons is likely dead, the high cabinet officials (or the surviving son) hasn't decided whether to kill the old man and take over, or wait until he can recover.

[Revolting cat!]

Me thinks it's all been faked in a Hollywood studio, just like the so called moon walk in 1969!

[chilepepper]

I was thinking the same thing... the psy-ops guys are missing a really good scheme if they DON'T do something like this!

[w1andsodidwe]

Seems to me that if we knew his location the first night and bombed it, we most likely would know about any such meetings taking place and bomb them. They are fantasies meetings for the Arab press.

[Dog]

I missed the woman popping in and out of the video...will look for it again...

[Grampa Dave]

[Chancellor Palpatine]

Inevitably, its the same thing. He always smiles and talks some, using his hands, while everybody else sits and smiles. It has all the appearances of someone like your boss telling a not very amusing story at a meeting, but you smile because you're supposed to.

[Cachelot]

I don't think he's actually dead.

He's dead. So is most of his cabinet. And most of his family ;).

The system is running on autopilot.

[LPStar]

No, I wasn't denigrating you at all. I was just pointing out Saddam has yet to prove to the world he's alive, which could be easily done, and I wonder why that is.

[Chancellor Palpatine]

...and somebody has this brand new thing out, called a Palm Pilot. Its supposed to revolutionize your schedule.

[Flint]

Could you see any strings leading off into the curtains behind him? Did he blink more than one eye at a time?

[Revolting cat!]

Evidently, Saddam's son Qussay was observed playing with Rubik's Cube!

[LPStar]

If the footage shows Aziz, we should be able to figure out if it's recent. Peter Arnett has talked to Aziz in the last day or two, and that interview has been aired. Someone should be able to take a look at the haircut or something.