CAMP VICTORY, Baghdad -- Saddam Hussein was living the sweet life before the U.S. knocked him out of power. I saw some evidence Wednesday at this sprawling American military encampment that was a favored residence of Saddam's before the war.

Saddam actually had the Euphrates River diverted to provide water to his residential area, said Lt. Michelle Matthews, a public affairs officer who showed Tony and I around.

“You can see how beautiful it is,” Matthews said. “Other people had to live in sewage and trash.”

Saddam created a big artificial lake in this land of scorching desert. His Al Faw palace (now a U.S. corps headquarters) sits at one end of the lake.
Surrounding it are former lakeside villas for the families of his favored Republican Guard officers. At another end of the lake is what Matthews said was a palace to house Saddam's concubines. Apparently the former dictator has a bunch of illegitimate children running around Iraq, although they aren't eager to advertise themselves as Saddam's kids nowadays.

There are palm trees and a big swimming pool next to the concubine's palace. It's kind of an idyllic spot in the midst of this blighted country, and it's easy to imagine Saddam and his buddies boating around the lake. He would have chefs prepare great feasts around the lake and boat out to the food.

The rest of what is now the U.S. Camp Victory/Camp Liberty complex is far from idyllic. The dusty roads are choked with Humvees and Strykers. The residential trailers are in mazes of big concrete blast barriers.

The soldiers here are engaged in heavy combat operations and are getting hit often as they go outside the wire to patrol the dangerous capital. Tony and I will go to the Green Zone tomorrow to get our press credentials, then come back here in the evening to start our embed with Fort Lewis Stryker soldiers trying to help pacify Baghdad.

-- Sean Cockerham