Saddam: Just One of the Guys

"He'd eat a family size bag of Doritos in 10 minutes," National Guardsmen Jesse Dawson, 25, recalls of former pal Saddam Hussein.

Yes, Dawson, and four other guardsmen charged with holding Saddam Hussein have offered interviews describing their interactions with the humorously normal and playful former dictator of Iraq. As the AP story, begins: "Saddam Hussein loves Doritos, hates Froot Loops, admires President Reagan, thinks Clinton was "OK" and considers both Presidents Bush "no good." He talks a lot, worries about germs and insists he is still president of Iraq."


"One more bag right here. Cool Ranch."

The soldiers describe a proud man who still believed he was President of Iraq, but generally was quite sweet (though he did "get grumpy" when the cheetos ran out). Saddam reportedly invited his young captors to come back and hang out with him in Iraq after the trial when he was restored to power, and even had some locker room wisdom to impart. When 19 year-old Sean O'Shea told him he was not married,

Saddam "started telling me what to do," recalled the soldier. "He was like, 'You gotta find a good woman. Not too smart, not too dumb. Not too old, not too young. One that can cook and clean."' Then he smiled, made what O'Shea interpreted as a "spanking" gesture, laughed and went back to doing his laundry in the sink.