BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - A defiant Saddam Hussein rejected charges of war crimes and genocide in a court appearance Thursday, telling a judge in his first public appearance since his arrest: "This is all theater, the real criminal is Bush."
Saddam was handcuffed when brought to the court but the shackles were removed for the 30-minute arraignment at Camp Victory, one of his former palaces on the outskirts of Baghdad.
"I am Saddam Hussein, the president of Iraq," Saddam said unprompted, sitting down in a chair facing the judge on the other side of a wooden railing. When asked his name, he repeated it in full: "Saddam Hussein al-Majid, president of Iraq."
The appearance, broadcast on Arab satellite television stations, gave Iraqis their first glimpse of the former dictator since his capture by the U.S. military seven months ago. They saw a Saddam whose mood ranged from nervousness and exasperation to contempt and defiance - even flashes of anger. He even seemed to lecture the judge at times.
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