> Well, duh! He has a billion dollars in cash and possibly some really ugly weapons. That part of the world is infested with terrorists-for-hire, and he is mad as heck at the US and the UK. I think it matters a lot.

Well, maybe, but the impression I've got (not that that carries any weight at all, but still) is that Saddam fled Iraq in quite a rush. It's very difficult to carry a nuclear missile around up your jumper, so it's unlikely that he has immense amounts of weaponry on him. His personal fortune could turn out to be a problem, but it wouldn't be surprising if any bank accounts he holds in a Western country have been instantly frozen. Moreover, none of the countries surrounding him were too happy at having a homicidal maniac with a big army living right next door, so he's unlikely to have too much of a following wherever he goes. That said, he could turn out to be an iconic figurehead, capable of whipping up support wherever he can find the chance...we just don't know.

On balance, though, I can't help feeling that the chances of him getting any meaningful influence now are very remote.

Si-"Unless that's what he *wants* us to believe"-gi