Saddam lashes out at Bush, judge in court
(AP)
Updated: 2006-02-14 07:02

Abdel-Rahman, who took over last month as chief judge, rode out the hearing's initial chaos by being both tough and accommodating, allowing Saddam and Ibrahim to talk, but interrupting them when they steered away from matters related to the case or if they spoke for too long.

Ibrahim was physically forced into the room Monday, shouting and struggling with guards holding him by the arms. Saddam and the other defendants walked in freely, apparently having decided to comply with the judge's order rather than risk getting the same treatment as Ibrahim.

But they made clear their opposition to being ordered to attend, with Saddam shouting chants against Bush.

Later, Abdel-Rahman rebuked Saddam for not rising when speaking to the court.

"I don't do this for a man who doesn't respect the law," Saddam replied. He argued that he could not be forced to accept court-appointed lawyers.

"We are implementing a law that was issued when you were president," Abdel-Rahman told him.

Even their dress signaled their defiance. Ibrahim appeared in a white undershirt and brown underpants. His head was bare without the Arab headdress he insisted on wearing in past sessions as a mark of dignity.

Saddam carried a Quran in his left hand and wore a blue dishdashah — or traditional Arab robe — with a black overcoat and slippers, a stark contrast to the smart black suits he has worn to past sessions with a white handkerchief in his breast pocket.

"Why have you brought us with force?" Saddam shouted at Abdel-Rahman. "Your authority gives you the right to try a defendant in absentia. Are you trying to overcome your own smallness?"

"Degradation and shame upon you, Raouf," Saddam yelled. Later, he called the investigating judges "homosexuals."

The defiant performance of Saddam and Ibrahim won them instant praise from Saddam's daughter, living in Jordan.

"My father dealt well with the Judge. Uncle Barzan is a very educated person and a hero, a real hero," Raghad Saddam Hussein told Al-Arabiyah television. "My father has nothing to lose. ... After being the leader of Iraq for more than 35 years, he cannot be afraid for his life."