Updated: 4:13 p.m. ET June 20, 2005
The rest of the article can be found here:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8288955/
NEW YORK - Thrust unexpectedly into the role of prison guards for Saddam Hussein, several young American soldiers found the deposed Iraqi leader to be a friendly, talkative �clean freak� who loved Raisin Bran for breakfast, could down a large bag of Doritos in 10 minutes and insisted he was still president of Iraq, the men said in an interview published Monday and in comments on NBC's "Today" show.
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Interviewed in GQ magazine�s July issue, the men said Saddam greatly admires President Reagan and thought President Clinton was �OK,� but had harsh words for both President Bushes, each of whom went to war against him.
�The Bush father, son, no good,� Cpl. Jonathan �Paco� Reese, 22, of Millville, Pa., quotes Saddam as saying in English. But his fellow GI, Specialist Sean O�Shea, then 19, says Saddam later softened that view.
�Towards the end he was saying that he doesn�t hold any hard feelings and he just wanted to talk to Bush, to make friends with him,� O�Shea, of Minooka, Pa., told the magazine.
A third soldier, Spc. Jesse Dawson, quoted Saddam as saying of Bush, ��He knows I have nothing, no mass weapons. He knows he�ll never find them.��
The three GIs were among members of C Company, 2nd Battalion, 103rd Armor Regiment, a Pennsylvania National Guard unit from the Scranton area that was activated for duty in Iraq in late 2003. Instead of going into combat, they were chosen by the FBI to serve as guards at a U.S. military compound where Saddam was an �HVD,� or high value detainee.
Who is this guy? Doesn't seem like the cold vicious dictator Bush made him out to be. He's soft and gentle like a little baby lamb.
The soldiers say Saddam was preoccupied with cleanliness, washing up after shaking hands and using diaper wipes to clean his meal trays, his utensils and the table before eating. �He had germophobia or whatever you call it� said Dawson, 25, of Berwick, Pa.
