Saddam's reaction to the sentence of death passed on him last Sunday seemed carefully rehearsed as if he was already preparing his posthumous reputation as an Iraqi patriot. He has taken to carrying a Koran in his left hand and once had the trial stopped so he could pray. At one stage last December he claimed he had been beaten and tortured but the allegation was only made once. It may have been made to pre-empt accusations of torture made against him by the people of Dujail.

A better guide to his conditions of imprisonment is a conversation with co-defendants accidentally picked up by microphones in court. Saddam is overheard saying: "I don't care for the food. I only eat what I like." He confirmed that he is closely confined. "I walk through four iron gates to get to the area where I can take my morning walk." He added that the walking space was nine metres, about 30 feet, long and "there's an eye on me 24 hours a day". This is presumably a reference to the video cameras.

Of course Saddam was not the only person play acting in court. Ostensibly the trial is an all Iraqi affair. Only Iraqis are shown in the TV coverage. But while the former Iraqi leader is legally in the custody of Iraq he is in practice in the physical custody of US guards at a centre near the airport.

US officials were quick to say last week that everything to do with the conduct of the trial is determined by Iraqis. In reality its day to day arrangements are run largely by the US embassy and the US Regime Crimes Liaison Office.

The degree of covert US involvement may explain why the court, with a choice of 365 days in the year to deliver its verdict, should have chosen to do so on 5 November, the last news cycle before the US midterm election two days later.

The verdict had been expected earlier on 16 October but this was postponed.