Saddam's mindset subject of high-stakes debate

MUMBAI: What must it be like at the receiving end of the fire and brimstone spewed out by the world’s sole supercop? What are Saddam Hussein’s thoughts?
The mind-set of Saddam Hussein, one of the most heavily-guarded leaders, continues to be the subject of a high-stakes debate.
Some defectors and political observers describe the Iraqi strongman as a survivor, utterly ruthless.Others portray him as a megalomaniac with a messianic complex that has been fuelled by his survival of numerous coup attempts. He may not choose to go quietly. Not for him the anticlimactic injection or the cyanide pill, say some experts. Rather, he may opt for what he deems to be a martyr’s paradise.
"Those who have made a career of watching Hussein say he is a study in contradictions, at once clever and prone to miscalculation," report Sonni Efron and Sebastian Rotella in The Los Angeles Times. "He claims that he can look into people’s eyes and know whether they will betray him before they know it themselves."
"He acts judiciously and can be very patient," says Jerrold Post, a former CIA psychiatrist.