03.21.03 - 2:07 am

saddam hussein.

this is a man, who by all reports, used poisonous gas to kill 10,000 of his own civilians. a man who in his election, had 100% of all the votes. a man who during the gulf war of 1991, planted civilians inside his military targets. hes been made out to be a successor to osama bin laden. hes been stigmatized, villified, and forever assigned to the word "enemy".

and yet, most recently, he stands as nothing more than an elderly man in a military uniform. his hair is gray. his face is furrowed with decades of war and treachery. age spots dot his forehead and cheeks. his eyes have gone bad and large circular glasses assist him to read. this is the manifestation of a beast who has been scheduled to die by terrifying force of bullets, bombs and hatred.

currently, he is under an assassination attempt. he has 250,000 armed and armored marines diligently searching for him. he has lazer guided tomahawk missles launched from ships many dozens of miles away. he has stealth aircraft dropping baskets woven out of explosives and thunder. he has armed militia. angry citizens. air to ground missle firing aircraft. death for him is almost a complete certainty. and he must know this. he must know that his country is surrounded by advanced weaponry that has been specifically designed to end his life. he will be executed on cnn and fox news, not in the privacy of closed circuit television. he must know that all of america sits anxiously awaiting word of his death, like a live studio audience watching a deer hunt on espn sports. everywhere he turns hes either facing a barrel of a gun or the betrayal of his own political ties. escaping death early yesterday morning in pajamas and slippers, running through collapsing hallways of a palace that has protected him for decades. his possessions crumbling under cement and flame.

he has a fate thats been sealed, and attempting to keep yourself under control enough to wage a war against nearly the entire world, addressing your country as a dictator whos suddenly been forced to show himself not as a leader in uniform with a perfectly groomed hair line and mustache, but as an elderly man, terrified for his life and the safety of his country.....its incredible to think about. you cant help but respect his tenacity and resiliance as well as feel his shame and fear that at any point his death will come either in a explosion of flame or a three second burst from the muzzle of a fully automatic weapon.

i would shake his hand if i could, look him in his worried glossy eyes, and even apologize for the death he will have to endure. it would be nice if, for 10 minutes before im supposed to kill him, saddam and i share a cigar, and sit and watch as his city is lightly sprinkled with long range missles. id be able to hear his satisfaction as he carefully exhales each puff of smoke, laughing softly to himself in acceptance that this last cigar of his life is actually the best one hes ever appreciated. he would tell me a story of his youth, perhaps a reflection on who hed wanted to be as a child. perhaps a vague and depressing memory of something he always regretted. or a secret hes been wanting to share, a secret that says hes still got one more trick up his sleeve for us americans, and that maybe he will get to see many more sunsets instead of just the inside of his casket lid.

we'll see saddam. we will see.