TIKRIT, IRAQ - Coalition forces' elation turned to even measures of disappointment and embarrassment when they realized that the "Saddam Hussein" they had captured was actually "Sadwan Hussein", an Iraqi shoe salesman not related to the former ruler of Iraq.

"He was out late, he carried a large case, and when we asked his name it sounded exactly like 'Saddam Hussein', so we took him in," said a special forces officer who for security reasons would not give his name. "He seemed awfully casual, I knew something was wrong. But a lot of the guys got excited and a few called in 'the big catch'. Before we knew it, we were heroes."

Hussein is still being interviewed by Coalition forces, but he is not expected to provide any useful information. "He's just a shoe salesman. And apparently not a very good one. He strikes me like Iraq's version of Al Bundy," said the officer.

This was not the first false alarm. One ill-conceived plan involved an Iraqi posing as Saddam and allowing another to turn him in for the 25 million dollar reward. When "Saddam" gave inaccurate information about his family history, his medical history, and was shown to actually be about 35 years old, the British soldiers involved temporarily jailed both men, then turned them over to their local judicial system.
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