Saddam Hussein and Donald Rumsfeld in Bagdad 1983For the complete report in the NZHerald click on this link
Saddam sentenced to hang - "verdict date 'rigged for Bush and impact on Congressional elections"
Saddam Hussein's defence team has urged a delay of his possible death sentence and said the ousted Iraqi leader believed today's expected verdict was timed to boost President George Bush before US mid-term elections.
Saddam's lawyer Khalil al-Dulaimi repeated warnings that a death sentence against his client - which would come before Tuesday's US Congressional elections at a time when Bush faces mounting criticism over the Iraq war - would plunge the region into wider bloodshed.
"We have requested at least a two-month adjournment to allow us to complete our presentations in the case in which our defence rights have been violated and in which our clients have been denied full legal defence," he said. US officials deny that Washington has any say over the timing of the verdict or the court's decisions, saying the American role was limited to logistics and security.
As Bush faces mounting criticism over the war, a guilty verdict two days ahead of tight US Congressional polls could be a vindication of his policy to overthrow Saddam.
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