Saddam Hussein loves Doritos, hates Froot Loops, admires President Ronald Reagan, thinks Bill Clinton was “okay” and considers both presidents George Bush “no good”. He talks a lot, worries about germs and insists he is still president of Iraq.

These are just some of the details of Saddam Hussein's life in US military custody which appear in the July issue of GQ magazine, based on interviews with five Pennsylvania National Guardsmen who went to Iraq in 2003 and were assigned to Saddam’s guard detail for nearly 10 months.

An interesting insight into the former Iraqi Dictator's life can be found. For example Saddam was friendly toward his young guards and sometimes offered fatherly advice.

Yes, when asked by a guard what to do when the mother disagrees with him on something, he would urge the guard to have her executed. When asked by a guard what to do when a teacher has some bad things to say about his child, he would urge the guard to have her executed. And you really don't want to hear what his advice was regarding kids who date at a young age...

When one soldier told him he was not married, Saddam “started telling me what to do”, recalled the soldier.

"He was like: ‘You gotta find a good woman. Not too smart, not too dumb. Not too old, not too young. One that can cook and clean.'"

Then he smiled, made what was interpreted as a ”spanking” gesture, laughed and went back to doing his laundry in the sink.

Actually the guard in question had misunderstood Saddam. Rather, his advice was "you gotta find good women". One not too smart, one not too dumb...

The magazine said Saddam told his guards that when the Americans invaded Iraq in March 2003, he “tried to flee in a taxicab as the tanks were rolling in” and US planes struck the palace he was trying to reach instead of the one he was in.

"Then he started laughing," recalled one soldier. "He goes: ‘America, they dumb. They bomb wrong palace."

If America was dumb, what do you call those who refused to allow weapons inspectors into their country even though it was to transpire that they had no weapons anyway?

Still, it is interesting to learn about the guy. Saddam Hussein - apparently much more than a former murderous dictator who wears white underpants.

# posted by United Irelander @ 12:59 PM