One of Ours

When he was charged with ordering the killing of Kurds in the poison gas attack at Halabja in 1988: “Yes, I heard about that.”

On the Kuwaitis: “They were trying to turn Iraqi women into prostitutes for just $10. How could you defend those dogs?”

On his appearance in court: “This is all theater, the real criminal is Bush.”

Justifying the invasion of Kuwait: “It was for the Iraqi people.”

...There was some concern that Saddam might use this as a political platform. That didn’t really happen. He was downcast; he looked defeated at other times. He kept raising his hand and asking the judge, “Please, stop. Let me ask you a few questions.” He said please a lot, which I’m sure is a change for him. He kept asking, “What are the charges? Why am I here?”