Saddam Hussein

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"The Achilles Trap: Saddam Hussein, the C.I.A., and the Origins of America’s Invasion of Iraq" (book cover)

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'Confronting Saddam Hussein' by Melvyn P. Leffler (book cover)

Hillary Rodham Clinton, in 2002, declared that Saddam Hussein, "left unchecked will continue to increase his capacity to wage biological and chemical warfare, and will keep trying to develop nuclear weapons. Should he succeed in that endeavor, he could alter the political and security landscape of the Middle East, which as we know all too well affects American security." (Associated Press)

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Shiite clerics inspect one of Saddam Hussein's palaces in Tikrit, 80 miles (130 kilometers) north of Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday, April 2, 2015, a day after Iraqi security forces backed by Shiite militiamen took control of the city from Islamic State militants. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)

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The offensive to retake Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit from Islamic State jihadis is being closely monitored by those in nearby Mosul, as Tikrit's fate may determine Mosul's destiny as well. (Associated Press)

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**FILE** People arrive at Basra airport in Iraq on June 4, 2005, on the first commercial Iraqi Airways flight from Baghdad since Basra's airport came under British control following the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003. (Associated Press)

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Camp Liberty residents, Iranian dissidents given refuge by Saddam Hussein years ago, hold banners and chant during a tour for foreign diplomats given by the Iraqi government. They want to return to their previous home, Camp Ashraf, but the Iraqi government wants them out of the country. (Associated Press)

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A video posted online Saturday, April 7, 2012, purports to show Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri, the highest ranking member of Saddam Hussein's ousted regime still at large, lashing out against Iraq's Shiite-led government. It was not possible to verify the authenticity of the video or determine when it was made. (AP Photo/AP Video)

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An Iraqi man stands on the head of a statue of Saddam Hussein as U.S. Marines occupy the center of Baghdad on April 10, 2003. But pockets of resistence remained in the northern part of the city and sniper fire could be heard everywhere. The war was far from over. (J.M. Eddins/The Washington Times)

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A US Marine walks through the rubble of the Iraqi Parliment Building in Saddam Hussein's Palace complex near the Tigris River Saturday, April 12, 2003. ( J.M. Eddins Jr. / The Washington Times )

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An Iraqi boy tries to pull down a statue of Saddam Hussein near burning government buildings in Baghdad, Iraq Friday, April 11, 2003. ( J.M. Eddins Jr. / The Washington Times )

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US Marines occupy the center of Baghdad, Iraq as citizens celebrate the fall of Saddam Hussein, although pcokets of resistence remain in the northern part of the city and sniper fire can be heard everywhere. Thursday, April 10, 2003. ( J.M. Eddins Jr. / The Washington Times )

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A portrait of Saddam Hussein riddled with bullet holes near Baghdad in central Iraq, Monday, April 7, 2003. ( J.M. Eddins Jr. / The Washington Times )

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Iraqi citizens greet US Marine Col. J. J. Pomfret of CSSG 11 ( Combat Service Support Group 11 ) near one of Saddam Hussein's palaces on the east bank of the Tigris River in Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday, April 12, 2003. ( J.M. Eddins Jr. / The Washington Times )

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In this Dec. 14, 2003 file image taken from video, captured former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein undergoes medical examinations in Baghdad. In the beginning, it all looked simple: topple Saddam Hussein, destroy his purported weapons of mass destruction and lay the foundation for a pro-Western government in the heart of the Arab world. Nearly 4,500 American and more than 100,000 Iraqi lives later, the objective now is simply to get out _ and leave behind a country where democracy has at least a chance, where Iran does not dominate and where conditions may not be good but "good enough." (AP Photo/US Military via APTN, File)