Keep Saddam in U.S. Custody, Ramsey Clark Pleads

(CNSNews.com) - Referring to his client as "calm, dignified [and] thoughtful," a member of Saddam Hussein's defense team urged President Bush Wednesday to keep the toppled Iraqi dictator in U.S. hands to prevent him from being mistreated in Iraqi custody.

Former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark, a longtime anti-war activist and self-described pacifist, told reporters in Washington, D.C., he wanted Bush to refuse to turn "President Saddam Hussein" over to Iraqi officials.

"If they are delivered to people designated by the present government of Iraq, they won't last long," Clark said of Saddam and his co-defendants.

An Iraqi court last month sentenced Saddam to death. He is being held by U.S. forces while awaiting the outcome of an appeal. The lawyers have until Dec. 23 to file appellate briefs, and the court could decide on Saddam's fate within days of those filings.