WEEKENDER: staying in.(Television program review)

Byline: Jennifer O. Cuaycong

TV REVIEW

House of Saddam

HBO

June 5, 9 p.m.

They say it takes a certain distance to see things clearly. From too far a distance, one may miss out on the details leaving the picture far from complete. From up too close, however, you can only see a section of the whole thing at a time; sometimes, you can hardly see anything at all. It is with this perspective that history is often best viewed as time can make playthings of our memories. Too distant in time and memory can be unreliably obscure and murky. Too short a time ago and it is often colored by biases and judgements.

More than three years after the execution of Iraq's Saddam Hussein, we find ourselves dredging up the past once more to revisit the life of one who played a pivotal, albeit ignominious, role in world …