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Taking Saddam prisoner lifts political pressure from Bush -- for the moment

Former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein's capture lifted a huge political weight from President George W. Bush after months of rising casualties and growing doubts about his handling of Iraq.

The pictures told the stark story of the victor and the vanquished: A triumphant Bush proclaimed the end of a "dark and painful era" in Iraq, while a haggard-looking Saddam was being examined by a doctor who probed his mouth with a tongue depressor.

For months, Saddam's ability to remain at large despite one of the world's biggest manhunts had been a blow to US prestige and claims of progress in Iraq. "As long as he was out there running around, it made us look like we were more bark than bite," said Rick Barton, senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

The persistent violence and growing death toll of American soldiers had opened the way for criticism that Bush lacked a postwar strategy for restoring stability in Iraq. Americans wearied of scenes of suicide bombings and flag-covered coffins at funerals, and the polls showed the country was evenly split on approval of Bush's handling of Iraq.

But with Saddam's capture, the critics were silenced, at least for the moment, and Bush was expected to get a big boost in the polls as he moves into a re-election year.

"The Democrats can't touch him at the moment," said Columbia University historian Henry Graff. "He said he was going to get him. He got him. What more do you want? Now if we can lower the level of violence over there, he's going to look good."

Bush, in an address to the nation, cautioned that there would be more bloodshed. "The capture of Saddam Hussein does not mean the end of violence in Iraq," Bush said. "We will face terrorists who would rather go on killing the innocent than accept the rise of liberty in the heart of the Middle East."

A central question will be how much control Saddam exerted over Baathist loyalists believed responsible for the daily attacks. The way he was captured did not leave the impression of a man in charge.

Democratic presidential candidates, divided between pro- and anti-war positions, found consensus by saying it was a great day for US soldiers, the people of Iraq and the world -- omitting praise for the president.

"This is a huge victory for Bush. It's clear by getting Saddam early, bringing him to trial, the president can send out a message that he's winning the war on terror," said Democratic strategist Donna Brazile, who managed Al Gore's 2000 campaign.

Bush's allies expect Democrats to regroup and go after the president another way.

"Politicians are pretty smart," Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist said on the Fox television network. "They'll go out and try to pick another issue. They'll look at any incident that happens in the next week and maybe even diminish the capture of Saddam Hussein."

More suicide bombings and more coffins could put Bush back on the defensive. "Nobody can predict what's going to happen over the next month," Frist said.

Saddam's capture was a particularly sweet moment for the Bush family, father and son presidents who confronted the Iraqi leader in two wars and were criticized for letting him get away.

The two Bushes were together at the White House on Friday but went their separate ways over the weekend.
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