CIA Interrogator: At Time of U.S. Invasion, Saddam Hussein Was Focused on Writing Novel, Not WMDs

democracynow.org - Ten years ago this week, on December 30, 2006, former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein was executed. Hussein was toppled soon after the U.S. invasion began in 2003. U.S. President George W. Bush launched the invasion on the false premise that Hussein had stockpiled weapons of mass destruction and had ties to al-Qaeda. The invasion destabilized Iraq and the region, leaving over a million people dead. And the fighting continues in Iraq and Syria. A stunning new book about the Iraq War has just come out from a perspective we have not yet heard from. It is written by John Nixon, the CIA analyst who interrogated Saddam Hussein after his capture 13 years ago. Nixon reveals that much of what the CIA believed they knew about Saddam Hussein at the time of the invasion was wrong. During his interrogation, Hussein revealed that by 2003 he had largely turned over power to his aides so he could concentrate on writing a novel. There was no program of weapons of mass destruction. Saddam Hussein was also deeply critical of al-Qaeda and other Islamist groups inspired by Wahhabism. During the interrogation, Hussein also had a warning for the United States about Iraq. He said, "You are going to fail. You are going to find that it is not so easy to govern Iraq. You are going to fail in Iraq because you do not know the language, the history, and you do not understand the Arab mind." We speak to former CIA analyst John Nixon, author of the new book, "Debriefing the President: The Interrogation of Saddam Hussein."
Democracy Now! is an independent global news hour that airs weekdays on nearly 1,400 TV and radio stations Monday through Friday. Watch our livestream 8-9AM ET: democracynow.org
Please consider supporting independent media by making a donation to Democracy Now! today: democracynow.org/donate
FOLLOW DEMOCRACY NOW! ONLINE:
Facebook: / democracynow
Twitter: / democracynow
KZbin: / democracynow
SoundCloud: / democracynow
Daily Email: democracynow.org/subscribe
Google+: plus.google.com/+DemocracyNow
Instagram: / democracynow
Tumblr: / democracynow
Pinterest: / democracynow
iTunes: itunes.apple.com/podcast/demo...
TuneIn: tunein.com/radio/Democracy-Now...
Stitcher Radio: www.stitcher.com/podcast/democ...

[@BabyBoomersDoomer]

When he said “ I thought I was talking to the butcher of Baghdad, I instead found myself talking to a aging grandfather.” That tells you everything you need to know.

[@kra1417]

لاحول ولاقوة الابالله

[@johnrosales1810]

One thing I caught was the fact that he tried to VOID “body doubles” out like that’s not something that happens daily

[@kra1417]

@@johnrosales1810 ههههه

[@SapoArdente]

The invasion of Iraq was/is a war crime (just one more among others) perpetrated by the "exceptional" nation... Never forget!

[@briangaines3693]

This guy is either jealous or a redcoat

[@briangaines3693]

Although yeah...it’s true

[@philipbuckley759]

you have a point, here...

[@micheal6803]

it hurts me so much to see what happened to him,

[@abderrahmaneoumssount7477]

BTW where is BUSH? he is enjoying his holidays in the Bahamas and Hawaiian beaches, while millions are suffering every second in their life. I wonder why we letting people decide in our behalf :(

[@overtherenowaitthere]

Well if we wanna do the right thing according to democracy now we need to let bush be a sweet old man painting water colors and writing books.

[@svetlana949]

Same story w/Libya & Syria make a fake stories of countries leaders

[@coreywalden9410]

This is the face of a man riddled with guilt.

[@GeorgesOpinion]

Lol so you say Bush started a war on a lie? I'm shocked!

[@fkngeniuspappie]

valgehiir It's not the age of these facts but the remarkable source and timing of it. It's crazy for any self respecting news agency not reporting on this. Must be on mainstream sources or else they are clearly not very trustworthy...

[@jasonchumley532]

valgehiir it's pieces of the puzzle to the back story. That's how an accurate account of history is made.

[@josiahwise9758]

He did

[@Alvicbar]

HOLY CRAP! This is actually pretty insightful and legit.

[@TheApaura]

This is an amazing interview, more people should see this.

[@Imhornydadcomeinside]

Read his name too, dolt.

[@shawnpierre6799]

Iraq was not a threat and that is why so many countries around the world are not going to take anything the US government dictates .

[@mahtabkhan6340]

Sadam Hussain was a great personality

[@ChrisLee66]

And as usual, even with this information, no one at all will be held to justice that was involved! of course, how can corrupt be held in front of corrupt, period!!

[@MargaritaMagdalena]

0:21 those images shouldn't have been shown here, they violate the Geneva Convention, which states that detainees must be protected from public curiosity.

[@sonnyjimnajam]

Sure, Saddam wasn't a nice guy but using that as justification for the war is redundant considering we support Saudi Arabia and various other dictatorships and tyrannical regimes. - There were no WMD and Bush/Blair knew it.

[@jeriokamura6064]

Usman Najam Redundant? I think you mean hypocritical.

[@DdDdd-eq1kj]

Ozram Nejè he was a nice guy you idiot

[@comradek57]

Sadsam wasnt a tyrant, he is just an ordinary authoritarian leader who uses authoritarian methods to govern and develop Iraq. Compare to the tyrannical Al-Saud regime in KSA, The Al-Sauds does not listen to the people, spread Wahhabi extremism (including suporting AlQaeda and the 9/11 tragedy, and worse framed Iraq doing it under Saddam's "orders", so they have no fierce rival for supremacy in the Arab anf Muslim world) and opresses the Saudis. Saddam on the otherhand does listens to Iraqis, not syaing he is a perfect leader as I said, he is an authoritarian leader and he is sometimes nasty if he has to be for the sake to protect Iraq, but all what I can say he has a heart.

[@Blaise88]

Has part two of this interview been posted or not? I can't find it anywhere.

[@natelang1426]

What is the original video?

[@theman1591]

That’s what makes me cry, what they did to him was so unfair…

[@TGIM]

Are you aware of what Saddam has dones to his own people? look up what he did to the Kurds alone. it's a sad story but I don't feel an ounce of sadness for Saddam

[@user-sr7bp6zx9r]

they killed him just to steal his books and other Iraq treasures GREAT AMERICANS

[@sujithpillai1554]

​@@TGIMfake news

[@tigeraterra69]

"I had studied him for years " I was , sort of the go to man" When I met him it was..... Our go to guys not so good, eh?

[@stampededbuffalo7903]

He was murdered.

[@bertoumeco6721]

They hung Hussein, Bush is painting portraits ...

[@Tim.Reader]

Democracy Now interviewing their co-worker.

[@moisesaguirre515]

Wow that's crazy

[@JaysonSunshine]

Great content, but I don't necessarily love the interview. You get the sense Goodman and her colleague, like Bush, come to the interview with a narrow interest -- in this case, undercutting the legitimacy of the invasion decision. In the process, they interrupt the author and the audience loses access to some interesting content.

[@uhohhotdog]

JaysonSunshine yea I didn't like the end there when she cut him off

[@isabellamccann7395]

Dick Cheney also predicted it...

[@Reprodestruxion]

Lot of this sounds like obfuscation

[@richwhiteman2755]

Greater Israel Project is fun!!

[@qusayj8765]

Say my name with respect

[@fredleejohnson9281]

And in just about 11:03 minutes of news story and interview was uploaded on December 28,2016.

[@blackphillip564]

We've already forgotten about the Iraq War. That usually means we're due to invade another war in Asia.

[@Ruder6163]

You called it, they left Afghanistan and went full throttle into Ukrainian and when Ukraine ends it will be time for Iran or Twain.

[@KironManuelCards]

The corona virus is one of the WMD items.

[@staatsfeindlich9939]

Noam Chomsky remarked that Saddam killed "his own people" (Kurds) in the same way the Cherokees Andrew Jackson killed were his own people.

[@josiahwise9758]

How do we know he kills his own ppl we don't live over they

[@beachaddict7653]

it's the Iraqi people feel bad for. They didn't ask for this or deserved it.

[@candyjackson8892]

That was not him

[@ronaldyarush9907]

And for what, to hide the most ancient history from people, still asleep like Adam

[@ayoooh]

if Arabs hadn't oil what did they do

[@shaela1717]

Why in the HELL did the US pick an “expert” that didn’t even speak the same language of the supposed evil tyrant?! So sus…

[@simahad116]

👏👏

[@moonlightskier]

Saddam was surprised the Bushes turned on him when they had been friends. Saddam got punkd by the Bushes. In the end, Saddam wanted to get his daughter out of the country to save her.

[@sonnyjimnajam]

Yup - The apologists say 'Saddam was a bad man, he had to go', if he was so bad why did our government support him for so many years when it suited their interests?

[@azzazelmakaveli7245]

@@sonnyjimnajam 👍

[@shreydatt_5100]

5:00

[@user-tu8gc7yo2g]

يحياا المهيب صدام حسين و تسقط امريكاء والعملاء

[@MrYodeezy]

Who goes on trial over this?

[@yvesmuzungu9176]

Dont forget the "The Greater Israel Project" people!!!

[@younghannibal7434]

5:48 that was very funny when he said he thought Saddam wouldn't talk. u kno they had a bucket of water ready for Saddam. waterboarding let get ready

[@TheDarkyvamp]

so you telling there were no wmd to begin with? who knew right? what next iraq wasn't responsible for 9/11?

[@streetestuary]

They weren’t

[@Ruder6163]

@@streetestuaryhe’s being sarcastic

[@ntparker4712]

Shame on u invaiding a foreign country.

[@lana301]

Fr the us just had to get involved

[@psychicdriving1873]

Amazing

[@michaelkawell3300]

Bush let the bin ladens leave the u.s. back to thete counrty.The only plain in the sky

[@fkngeniuspappie]

"Sudam Hussain didn't really know much about foreign relations". How'z about Bush let alone Trump.

[@AnexoRialto]

The self-described "go to expert" on Sadam Hussain in the CIA during the Iraq invasion doesn't speak Arabic. Sadam Hussain had a very limited understanding about how the US works. Lucky thing that with a deep thinker and steady hand like Trump in charge, the chance of another war like the one with Iraq will only be a distant possibility.

[@MargaritaMagdalena]

Maybe they used an interpreter.

[@lsobrien]

Sounds like he fell in love. Seeing as he worked for the CIA, that's not a great surprise.

[@mck1972]

Boy it is so easy to self-righteously judge the actions of those in the past when you have the great luxury of 20/20 Hindsight, like these reporters!!! SMH

[@TheRozza333]

I mean, overall it was bad for Iraq but he was a tyrant

[@Ruder6163]

Yet we continue to support the dictatorships in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait (who we fought a war to reinstall), Qatar, Oman, UAE, Jordan, Egypt, Morocco.

[@medm6399]

The murder of Kurdish. And friend of devil 👿

[@justynajurewicz17]

He would actually be a good guy if he didnt commit genocides- A few times....

[@IllumTheMessage]

Probably not an accident that this book is coming out right before Trump get's in office.

[@LouisJWest]

What's the connection?

[@ultrarelativistic]

i don't understand how this effects trump? Or do you mean that the author is no longer afraid of being assassinated by obama's hit squad.

[@IllumTheMessage]

Trump ran on being right about the Iraq mission to overthrow Sadam and occupy the country of Iraq. He will likely unload a lot of truth about just how stupid the mission was and how mis-managed it was once he get's the keys to the office. The CIA wants to get out in front of this by saying we saw the right thing to do and the suits didn't listen to us, CYA. Cover Your Ass.

[@johnmuirsgrand5335]

Zod Seems a lot of well known people are putting books out now, right? 🤔💚

[@LouisJWest]

+ultrarelativistic Do you mean Bush? What is Obama's hit squad?

[@Laughwithmelol]

However they did find yellow uranium why did you leave that part out and no one really knows why said I am had yellow uranium? And the fact that he denied his people democracy he beat up one of his sons to an inch of his life.

[@drewharris12984]

Yellow uranium alone doesn’t make a bomb, & is used in a lot of other things, everyday, by way worse countries. Don’t be dumb.

[@azzazelmakaveli7245]

@@drewharris12984 👍

[@MrGreenstar2012]

mocking the mocking bird

[@KironManuelCards]

Iraq and the middle east needs proper english classes.

[@mrmoralman1]

Saddam or the Coalition....tough decision

[@patribbing6756]

hmmm, a little English on the beísbol an we begin to see a curb, eh?.... majora?

[@Zedzsa]

🇮🇶🇮🇶🇮🇶💪💪💪

[@bd1140]

saddam sounds like trump

[@bejakabyle]

United States 🇺🇸 and United nation gave an opportunity to the Iraqi people to the freedom , they freed them from torture , dehumanization, dictator etc . Seddam and his sons were more then Hitler or Stalin . Unfortunately Iraqi people didn’t take advantage to explore this opportunity. Germany 🇩🇪 in 1945 was totally destroyed but it’s citizens got reunited learned from the past and they built their country again .

[@azzazelmakaveli7245]

Do you speak french ?

[@azzazelmakaveli7245]

You from Algeria ?

[@bejakabyle]

@@azzazelmakaveli7245 yes

[@indheergaradchannel3269]

What are you talking about

[@dragon888193ftw]

I hope the US gives your country the same opportunity then. Just like France did lol.