And the blood shall cry out: The Coalition forces will use DNA samples from Saddam Hussein in an attempt to determine whether the Iraqi dictator had been killed by American bombing. Military sources, however, refused to discuss the source of the samples, citing operational security concerns.

Of course, Saddam's captured half-brother (through their mother), Watban Ibrahim Hasan al-Tikriti, could easily be the source of identifying genetic information, and it would be surprising if Coalition forces didn't use his genotype for identification. But there is another source of DNA -- one that could explain Gen. Franks' reluctance to discuss the source of the data.

In the Mother of All Battles mosque, captured by Coalition troops last week, there sits a Koran written with three pints of Saddam's blood, part of the dictator's unconvincing attempt to meld Ba'athist nationalism with the Islam of Iraqis. Assuming that the chemicals used to preserve the blood haven't fragmented the DNA beyond recovery, it may well be the only reliable source of Saddam's DNA short of the dictator's body itself. Of course, cutting up a Koran, which is more than a simple text to Muslims no matter whose blood it's written in, would hardly engender support for American efforts amongst many Iraqis.

Irresponsible speculation, of course, but what else is the Internet for?