And looking back through my notebooks over the past five weeks, I find that not a single Iraqi, not a single American soldier I have spoken to, not a single mercenary – be he American, British or South African – believes that there will be elections in January All said that Iraq is deteriorating by the day. And most asked why we journalists weren’t saying so.But in Baghdad, I turn on my television and watch Bush telling his Republican supporters that Iraq is improving, that Iraqis support the “coalition”, that they support their new US-manufactured government, that the “war on terror” is being won, that Americans are safer. Baquba, Samara, Kut, Mahmoudiya, Hilla, Fallujah, Ramadi, all are outside government authority. Iyad Allawi, the “Prime Minister”, is little more than mayor of Baghdad. “Some journalists,” Blair announces, “almost want there to be a disaster in Iraq.” He doesn’t get it. The disaster exists now.When suicide bombers ram their cars into hundreds of recruits outside police stations, how on earth can anyone hold an election next January? Even the National Conference to appoint those who will arrange elections has been twice postponed.

It is littered with burnt-out police vehicles and American trucks Every police post for 70 miles has been abandoned. Yet a few hours later, I am sitting in my room in Baghdad watching Tony Blair, grinning in the House of Commons as if he is the hero of a school debating competition; so much for the Butler report.Indeed, watching any Western television station in Baghdad these days is like tuning in to Planet Mars. Doesn’t Blair realise that Iraq is about to implode? Doesn’t Bush realise this? The American-appointed “government” controls only parts of Baghdad – and even there its ministers and civil servants are car-bombed and assassinated. Indeed, when he entered the room he believed that the judge was there to condemn him to death. This, after all, was the way Saddam ran his own state security courts. No wonder he initially looked “disorientated” – CNN’s helpful description – because, of course, he was meant to look that way We had made sure of that Which is why Saddam asked Judge Juhi: “Are you a lawyer? …

Is this a trial?” And swiftly, as he realised that this really was an initial court hearing – not a preliminary to his own hanging – he quickly adopted an attitude of belligerence.But don’t think we’re going to learn much more about Saddam’s future court appearances. Salem Chalabi, the brother of convicted fraudster Ahmad and the man entrusted by the Americans with the tribunal, told the Iraqi press two weeks ago that all media would be excluded from future court hearings And I can see why. Because if Saddam does a Milosevic, he’ll want to talk about the real intelligence and military connections of his regime – which were primarily with the United States.Living in Iraq these past few weeks is a weird as well as dangerous experience I drive down to Najaf Highway 8 is one of the worst in Iraq Westerners are murdered there. Much of Iraq has fallen outside the control of America’s puppet government in Baghdad but we are not told Hundreds of attacks are made against US troops every month But unless an American dies, we are not told.