Saddam's Latest Foes

By Vivienne Walt

The rasping drone was familiar, as was his surreal declaration: "I am Saddam Hussein, President of the Republic of Iraq." At his first court appearance in Baghdad last week, the former dictator sparred with the judge, defended his invasion of Kuwait and even floated a defense strategy, claiming the U.S.-financed tribunal had no jurisdiction in Iraq. "This is a theater by Bush the criminal," he said, wagging an index finger.

Yet for all his defiance in the dock, Saddam may not be happy that he has been formally transferred to Iraqi custody. Iraq's national security adviser, Muwaffak al-Rubaie, tells TIME that Saddam "started to shake" when he learned of his impending transfer. Saddam's apprehension recalls a comment he made to an Arab leader before the first Gulf War, indicating his sense of how Iraqis felt about him: "If I am killed, there will be no part of me left bigger than the tip of my finger."

Still, the Iraqi tribunal trying Saddam faces many hurdles. Fourteen months after the war, about 50 tons of potentially damning documents--salvaged from government offices as looters rampaged through the capital--remain untouched in basements and storerooms, mostly in Baghdad. Other key evidence may have "gone up in smoke," says Salem Chalabi, a former New York City corporate attorney who leads the tribunal. Prosecutors may tap Saddam's former henchmen to build their case, say Iraqi officials. Eleven such loyalists had charges read to them at the makeshift U.S. military courtroom. Some are ready to cut deals, hoping to avoid the firing squad by testifying against their old boss. Isolated in his cell, Saddam has had ample time to mull over that possibility. "He's demoralized," Chalabi claims. "He thinks others are starting to talk."

--By Vivienne Walt