While the initial 2 hour HBO introduction of HOUSE OF SADDAM by executive producers, Alex Holmes, Hilary Salmon; and producer, Steve Lightfootdid reveal Saddam Hussein and his sons' obvious sociopathy and brutality to some significant extent, remarkably it failed to even mention his well documented attempt to develop a nuclear weapons program or a biologic weapons program at all and only mentioned in one sentence his chemical weapons attack on the Kurds by Chemical Ali -- and one would even believe this was purely Ali’s idea and action. Bottom line is that this was a remarkably sanitized version of who and what Saddam and his regime really were. What was sanitized was the scrupulous avoidance of the mention of Saddam’s attempt to develop nuclear weapons or weaponized biologic agents. None of the reviews I have read mentions this “oversight”. Why? Because, in spite of the left’s recent electoral triumph, it is still supremely important that this particular aspect of Hussein’s “endeavors” remain repressed and unimportant to the theme of entertainment which is all this series in fact was. It managed to keep the demonized version of G.W. Bush intact. Congratulations to HBO, yet again.

J.S. HARDY

SEABECK, WA