New York, Apr 07: Skeptical commentators have suggested the man mingling freely with Iraqis in Baghdad shown last week on television might have been one of the doubles President Saddam himself has acknowledged using, media reports say. But US officials are saying the CIA has no information that Saddam has ever used doubles for appearances as close-up as this one.
The agency believes he uses stand-ins in motorcades and long-distance appearances. But officials say there's no evidence that any Saddam double is identical enough to fool the camera. Meanwhile, a military officer working on US war plans has laid out four options for Hussein. One, he could hunker down in some well-stocked hideout and wait it out. Two, he could make a run for it. Three, he could choose the Samson option - once he realised he was finished, he could try and take with him as many enemies as possible. Finally, Hussein could attempt to negotiate his departure. In his scenario, he would go through the motions of preparing for a horrible final battle, then leave the door open at the last minute for a deal. Bureau Report