Is Saddam Cracking Up?

By Guy Garcia

Saddam Hussein clearly intended to project the image of a strong and unflappable leader during his televised interview on CNN last week. But his eyes may have betrayed him by sending an altogether different message. Close watchers of the interview could not help noticing that the Iraqi leader was blinking at a frantic pace (as often as 40 times a minute, vs. 20 to 25 during a TV interview last June). John Molloy, a consultant who trains salespeople to handle stress, says Saddam's fluttering eyelids may be a sign of mental breakdown. "When salesmen start blinking, they're usually in trouble," says Molloy. "The guy looks like he's falling apart." While medical researchers are split over the significance of rapid blinking, battlefield commanders confirm that the symptom is common among soldiers who have endured heavy bombardment.

With reporting by Sidney Urquhart