"It was a bright and sunny day.."

Japanese readers will soon be able to delve into the mind of Saddam via access to his final novel, finished shortly before the Bradleys chased out Baghdad Bob. Called "Get Out, Damned One", it was previously banned in Jordan, which of course led to bootleg copies that reportedly sold like hot cakes.

Many in America might not be familiar with it, but the book is old news overseas. It could be considered old news here, too, as several MSM outlets reported on it's imminent publication last year (not to mention the bloggers who've been reporting on it since 2003). Seems the definition of imminent in this case was about a year.

It's unclear when the book might make it to American bookstores. Surely the demand can't be that high, but perhaps another reason is that it's premise hits a little too close to home for some:

Abdel Amir said "Get Out, Damned One" describes an Arab leading an army that invades the land of the enemy and topples one of their monumental towers, an apparent reference to the Sept. 11, 2001, attack on the World Trade Center in New York by Islamic militants of Osama bin Laden's terrorist network.

Saddam was quite the romancier, apparently penning three previous novels. Shockingly, all were best-sellers in Iraq. Who could say no to a Saddam thriller?

We don't exactly know who stands to reap any royalties from book sales, or even the legality of such a thing. Maybe Saddam's daughter Raghad can funnel the cash directly to those fighting the real fight on Saddam's behalf. After all, that was the point of the book.

Speaking of al-Qaeda, this article seems a little shaky, but it's probably on the right track. By the way, has anyone checked to see what medicine they're giving Tariq Aziz? It seems to be working miracles.

NO FEAR 5/14/06

The Times Online has a big interview with the Butcher in their Sunday edition. Among other things we find that:

> he's not afraid of the hangman, it's all about Iraq.

> he was disturbed at both Abu Ghraib and the Golden Mosque attack

> his American guards are pleasantly surprised by Saddam's personality

> he doesn't believe the US will attack Iran

We were also given this morsel by the reporter:

Khalil was taken from Baghdad airport to Saddam’s secret prison in a van with blacked-out windows. Saddam sat in a windowless hall measuring 36ft by 16ft with a guard in front of both entrances. A table and five chairs stood in the centre. The guards left and Khalil could tell the building was close to the airport as she could hear planes taking off and landing.

It struck me as odd for that piece of information to be relayed. Wonder if this was just a coincidence?

Fourteen people have died and six were hurt in a double suicide attack near Baghdad airport, on a day of violence that claimed at least 30 lives in Iraq. The blasts took place in a car park close to the airport compound, the US military said.

Ed note--the title of this post is pretty lame, but it was intended as a statement on Saddam's literary career, among other things.