It doesn't look like they got him. In looking at the video on TV, there didn't appear to be much "urgency" around the area where the attack took place, just a bunch of average looking joes.

This seems more reasonable of an evaluation. Saddam is apparently paranoid of using electronic communications during war with the US (as he should be) and I can't imagine all three of them gathering in one place with a big, fat electronic target sitting on the building.

If you look at the Rueters site, go to their Raw video feeds. Look for a video clip dated April 7th called "Damage in Baghdad". I beleive this is the "crater"

Hattip me :-)

Fox is saying "50 Ba'ath members having lunch" were targetted. That isn't the feeling I got from the video or the Arab press reports.

Could it be that their command and communication infrastructure has been so beaten down that there is no way to communicate a sense of urgency?

Yes, but don't forget Monday is KFC & Poker Night at the Husseinis.

I don't think the crater on Fox is the place in question. A witness said he saw the plane make the drop. This was done from a B-1 at high altitude.

Monsoor Ijaz is saying that he sources say this was a get out of town meeting for most all of the senior officials (hopefully not Baghdad Bob). He says someone sold Saddam.

OTOH, there is a chance that these were doubles (his son's have them too). If so this may be cover to facilitate an escape, but that seems too sophisticated for him.

Fox reports from a Mideast source that Saddam, his sons and top leadership were meeting & plotting escape routes (as blogged below) but were plotting escape particularly because they believed that was the last night they'd have any kind of semi-freedom of movement before U.S. forces trapped them. The source said only under this circumstance would the two sons be found in the same room. Of course, there are other suppositions that one of the sons was already dead.

I think the crater on the MSNBC and Reuters video is the right one. It is the correct location and the correct time of day to match up with attempt on Saddam.

Politica,

Yeah, sources in the big building with five sides are confirming this is the neighborhood.

The guy probably saw the A-10 that is coordinating Urban Close Air Support taking a pass.