In The Hound of the Baskervilles, Sherlock Holmes solves a mystery when he notices that a guard dog did not bark. Likewise, Saddam's continued silence is strong circumstantial evidence that he is either badly injured or dead. Today, Iraqi TV announced that Saddam would address his country at 8:00 PM Iraqi time (noon Eastern). As the time approached, the obvious question was would Saddam appear in a way to prove he was still alive or would there be another video that could have easily been taken from the Iraqi TV archives?

Well, the answer was neither. The Iraqi Information Minister read a letter that was allegedly written by Saddam. The dog did not bark. Saddam is dead or incapacitated.