Rumours about Saddam Hussein's health.

January 3, 2001 1:09 PM

Rumours about Saddam Hussein's health. According to a report from Sky News, the Iraqi dictator may have suffered a major stroke or may be dead.
posted by andre_111 (16 comments total)

Lotta changes happening in the Islamic world recently. Two elections in Iran completely change the balance of power there; King Hussein of Lebanon dies; and now this.

If it turns out to be true, I give even money they come up with some implausible way to blame the US (e.g. CIA poison).
posted by Steven Den Beste at 1:27 PM on January 3, 2001

Just a note: King Hussein was king of Jordan...not trying to be obnoxious but it is quite a difference.
posted by buddha9090 at 2:27 PM on January 3, 2001

Reports say he was taking the salute from his military when he collapsed.

Maybe the CIA was involved.
posted by terrapin at 2:41 PM on January 3, 2001

Seems to me that rumours of Mr. Hussein's imminent death or incapacitation have popped up once a year or so since the Gulf War. I'm leaving this one on the "wishful thinking" pile for another few weeks...
posted by Mars Saxman at 3:07 PM on January 3, 2001

About King Hussein; I was thinking Jordan but typed Lebanon. There is no king in Lebanon. Sorry about that.
posted by Steven Den Beste at 3:10 PM on January 3, 2001

Obviously, someone finally got around to showing him South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut.
posted by kindall at 3:22 PM on January 3, 2001

He looks okay to me. This was taken New Year's Eve. I've never seen him in civilian clothes before--this picture makes me laugh for some reason.
posted by thc at 5:39 PM on January 3, 2001

He's got a hell of a tailor.
posted by capt.crackpipe at 9:25 PM on January 3, 2001

He's alive and well. (Jan. 3 Photo)
posted by tamim at 5:04 AM on January 4, 2001

He looks like he is going for the John Steed look in the New Year's Eve photo. As for the Jan. 3 photo, how do we know it is really from that date?
posted by quirked at 6:08 AM on January 4, 2001

While we're bandying about conspiracy theories, maybe they just propped up his corpse and said "Look, Great Devil, he is not dead!"
posted by cCranium at 7:43 AM on January 4, 2001

Ah, but there's some speculation that those photos are actually from New Year's Eve, or from a few weeks earlier. (Not my speculation, someone else's)

Hussein photos may have been doctored


posted by annathea at 11:17 AM on January 4, 2001

Who wants first dibs on the "Weekend at Saddam's" parody?

Oh. I guess I do.

Well, heck! If I'm right about this conspiracy theory, then maybe I'm right about that one with the evil stock brokers falsly beating the crap out of the market so they can blow is astronomically out of proportion for a couple of years all over again!
posted by cCranium at 12:32 PM on January 4, 2001

Looking at that second one, it almost looks like he's holding onto the table so as not to topple over. Then again, he appeared on Iraqi TV. Looks like it was all started by this opposition leader for whatever reason.
posted by dhartung at 4:52 PM on January 4, 2001

His body double looks quite healthy
posted by lagado at 6:21 PM on January 4, 2001

Steven forgot to mention that President Hafez Al-Assad of Syria died last summer. King Hussein of Jordan died almost two years ago...
posted by xiffix at 10:05 AM on January 5, 2001