TheSaddam Hussein interview is a television interview hosted by American journalistDan Rather withIraqi presidentSaddam Hussein on February 24, 2003, very shortly before the2003 invasion of Iraq. The interview was aired both in the United States and on all three Iraqi television networks. British politicianTony Benn had also interviewed Saddam earlier that month.[1]
Rather andCBS Evening News executive producer Jim Murphy were driven aroundBaghdad for 45 minutes and switched cars on two separate occasions to keep Saddam's position secret. The interview was held at theRepublican Palace. Neither Rather nor Murphy were allowed to bring their own tape recorders. Saddam supplied his own translator, andCBS approved the translation of the recording. Rather and Murphy were treated well in the course of the interview, with Saddam offering Rather coffee at one point.
In the 1980s, Rather had an on-air confrontation with then-vice presidentGeorge H. W. Bush over theIran-Contra Affair. His son,George W. Bush, responded similarly, and declined to give Rather an interview during his presidency. After the Saddam interview, theWhite House was interested in a rebuttal interview. CBS News would accept President Bush, Vice PresidentDick Cheney or Secretary of StateColin Powell for the interview, but the White House only offered other officials for the interview, such asAri Fleischer andDan Bartlett. The CBS network deemed these individuals inappropriate for the broadcast, and an American interview was never done.[1]
When asked if he was "afraid of being killed or captured" early in the interview:
Saddam invited President Bush to a live TV debate, to which Bush declined:
On one occasion Saddam interrupted his translator and corrected his use of the term "Bush", instead of "Mr. Bush", which Saddam explained was out of respect.
