Eye-witnesses said the guards were insulting Saddam before his execution. That’s the most interesting part of the story. I wish I knew what the guards said.
The execution was filmed. You know those guards wanted Saddam to act undignified on video before they killed him. So I imagine the sorts of things the guards were whispering to him before he went, trying to get him to go all nutty.
I assume the guards used the amateur ventriloquist method of talking without moving their lips, so their provocations wouldn’t be caught on video. If they did it right, it would just look like Saddam was hysterical from fear of dying.
It’s the same method used by school kids to make teachers go nuts. The students hum without moving their lips. The teacher can’t tell where it’s coming from. I don’t know if Shi’ite prison guards have a sense of humor, but I like to think they were insulting Saddam in funny ways without moving their lips.
Guard 1: “Hey Saddam, I won the executioner’s lottery to use your scrotum for a coin purse. I hope it’s stretchy.”
Guard 2: “Hey Saddam, I just saw a humvee full of American soldiers. It reminded me of your sister. Want to know why?”
Guard 3: “I just saw your casket. It’s made of ham.”
I’ll bet the video of the execution will be released on the Internet without sound.