Dictator’s Spell May Be Broken

BASRA, Iraq — He’s got a special gem implanted in his arm that repels bullets. He has almost as many lives as a cat. His mother is a magician.

As U.S. troops occupied vast stretches of downtown Baghdad on Wednesday, Iraqis weaned for three decades on stories of Saddam Hussein’s invincibility acknowledge that they’re still having trouble believing his end is here.

“I wouldn’t believe he was dead even if I saw his body on television,” said Aboud Muttar, 60, a shepherd. “I won’t believe it unless I see it with my own eyes.”

The news this week that one of Hussein’s suspected lairs was hit by 2,000-pound American bombs, followed by reports he was killed, followed by other reports that he wasn’t, has only added to Iraqi skepticism.

People here can be forgiven for taking rumors of the dictator’s demise with a grain of Persian Gulf salt. Despite dozens of coup and assassination attempts, Hussein has endured.

“He has seven lives,” said Ahmed Ali, 23. “You can’t kill him.”

As one tale would have it, that’s because of the gem in his arm, which some say is red, and some others, blue. It is said to have been tested on a chicken, which lost just a few feathers when it was shot at point-blank range.

“I first heard about it around the time he took power,” said retiree Jasim Waay, 54. “Is it strong enough to work against the British and American military? Only God knows for sure.”

A mother’s love -- and her ability to weave powerful spells -- has protected Hussein with a magical aura, another legend goes. “He’s in touch with the occult,” said Saad Abdel Reda, 19, a farmer. “And he has fortunetellers tap into the spirit world and tell him when people are trying to kill him.”

Other bits of folklore bolster Hussein’s reputation for brutality and cunning. In one, a soldier standing five rows behind the president attempted to kill him, but his gun jammed. Hussein calmly walked over to the soldier, grabbed the weapon and said, “This is how you do it,” before shooting him dead.

Then there was the citizen who spat on his television screen whenever the president’s face appeared. This went on for years, until the man and his daughter saw the president in person, at a parade. “That’s the man you always spit on,” the little girl said, at which point soldiers within earshot took him away and executed him.

Mohammed Sadek, a 43-year-old teacher, believes that the regime has fueled the fables to keep Iraqis in check. “That way he seems stronger and keeps people scared,” he said.

Others ascribe his ability to survive to plain old paranoia. Hussein is known to sleep in a different location every night, trust only a few in his inner circle, periodically purge his honor guards and rely on relatives who are themselves subject to execution.

“There’s a saying that Saddam Hussein doesn’t even trust his own little finger,” said Ahmed Shab, 19.

The strongman is also said to employ at least seven doubles, leading to widespread “Where’s Waldo” speculation in the foreign media each time his image appears on state television. Is it the real Hussein or a stand-in? Is the footage fresh or was it shot before the war?

“No one ever sees him so there aren’t many chances to kill him,” said Ibrahim Mohammed Ali, 53. “The Baath Party around him is also very strong, leaving him to step on the heads of his own people.”

The fact that Hussein was written off by many during the 1991 Persian Gulf War, only to come roaring back to exact revenge against his critics, has made Iraqis wary. Even if he’s out of power, if he’s out there somewhere, many will remain terrified.

“How can we really be sure he’s gone for good?” asked Hassam Sahar, 45, an engineer. “We can’t trust the U.S. and Britain. They left once before.”

Hussein’s mythic ability to outwit and outlast extends to one of his top henchmen, cousin Ali Hassan Majid. Known as “Chemical Ali” for ordering poison gas attacks in 1988 on the country’s Kurdish population, Majid was reportedly hit by an allied bomb several days ago in Basra.

Even as news reports said his body had been found in the rubble, however, many Iraqis refused to believe Majid was dead.

“He’s a very bad man. He’s killed so many people,” said teacher Ali Ibrahim Hussein, 35. “I’d be delighted if he were dead, but I just don’t believe it.” Others said they saw him on a bus bound for Syria on Sunday.

The tall tales of Hussein’s power have dovetailed with an overactive propaganda machine that presents the Iraqi leader as superhuman -- a great engineer, tremendous hunter, expert marksman, world-class swimmer, brave fighter, brilliant equestrian and standard-bearer for the Arab world.

“His picture is everywhere -- on our schoolbooks, our mosques, government buildings and our money,” said Karim Kasem, 34. “At school meetings, we stand up for Saddam Hussein and sit down for the Baath Party.”

As Iraqis learn that U.S. troops have thundered into Baghdad and their government is on the run, they are speculating on Hussein’s next move.

Some say he would stay and fight to the death.

Others think that he would take his own life rather than suffer the indignity of being paraded before the world, perhaps even be tried at The Hague for war crimes.

“He’d rather commit suicide than be caught,” said Badi Saleh Abdullah, a shepherd tending his flock along the road near Zubayr, in southern Iraq.

Others say it will never come to that because he’s long gone. They believe that he fled even before the war started, knowing that his own people would tear him apart if they got hold of him.

“I don’t think they’ll be able to kill him,” said Sadek, the teacher.

“He’ll get away, like Osama bin Laden. He’s had lots of time to plan his escape.”

As news reports pour in of Saddam Hussein statues being toppled, government officials and paramilitary fighters fleeing, and the nation’s biggest cities falling to U.S.-led forces, however, many Iraqis say they are finally starting to believe that he is vulnerable.

“Every human being has a set lifetime,” said Ali Abdul Wahed, 35. “Even Mussolini and Hitler fell eventually.”

“When he dies, he’ll go to hell,” said shepherd Muttar, who thought for a minute before adding: “The very worst hell.”