Hometown homey

TIKRIT, Iraq - 'La, la (no, no), mister, you must be mistaken. I am but a humble soldier enjoying a cup of tea. This dictator you speak of, uh, he is in the next spiderhole down the street.'

Here in Tikrit, the hometown of Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti, the mustache maverick lives on, at least in a crudely drawn tile murals. This gem survived the invasion and ensuing chaos and now sits in front of one of Saddam's drab Stalinist buildings on Base Speicher, right outside his boyhood home.

Aside from its general amateurishness, what I love about this painting is that it looks like Saddam has just been ambushed by the paparazzi and is about to spill his tea and flee, as if the painter was making fun of him (pretty sure that was punishable by death).

It's been a quiet start to my trip - a record (for me) six days without mortar or rocket fire - spent almost entirely on the base collecting a few quick hit stories while I await a flight to my main destination, in Diyala Province. I'm itching to get back on patrol, out in the towns, and on the campaign trail (elections are Jan. 31), though I know I should be careful what I wish for.