He felt safer with the Americans

"He was, I think, psychologically ruined and very demoralized," Rubaiye [a Governing Council member who met Saddam on Sunday] said. "He felt safer with the Americans."

. . . "I've got my own personal views (on the death penalty). This is a brutal dictator. . . It's going to be up to the Iraqis to make those decisions," said Bush, former governor of Texas, the U.S. state with the most executions, 312, since 1976.

Bush, seeking re-election next year with Iraq high on the agenda due to a relentless rise in U.S. casualties from attacks blamed on Saddam supporters and foreign Islamic militants, said Iraq was on the right track.

Gee . . . and here I thought Iraq was high on GW's agenda because it was a major front in the War on Terror. Oh, well.