Reports persist that it was the Kurds, not the U.S., that first captured Hussein, and that they drugged him and then left him for US troops to capture. The Christian Science Monitor has the latest. Our earlier coverage of the topic is here.

A TalkLeft reader writes in:

I'm very suspicious of the fact that there has been no official denial by our government regarding the capture of Saddam Hussein. Has a White House reporter even asked the question?

One thing I know is that the story is gaining credence in the Arab world, giving them that much more reason not to trust us. If they end up believing that story, which is more likely if we do not officially dismiss the rumours (with the Arab press continuing to report that omission), then they will come to believe that the whole thing was a ruse, and we will lose more hearts and minds.

And Scotland's Sunday Herald asks whether a deal was brokered for Saddam's capture. Their original article on the capture and the role of the Kurds is here.