In one of his defiant pre-war rants, Mr Hussein made an infelicitous allusion to the sacking of Baghdad by the Mongols in 1258: the way its modern vanguard rushed suicidally at American armour rather than confronting it from entrenched positions helped to ensure a similar outcome in 2003.

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The allusion clearly was to the uncertainty that shrouds the war in Iraq.

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An IMF team which visited the country in June described the economy as "sick" -- perhaps, an unintended allusion to the condition of the president.

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There was little direct mention of party politics Sunday, but ample allusion to the partisan battles that cramped many of Obama's legislative efforts in his first term and have continued unabated into his second.

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Mr. BARR: You know, I don't think it is, and you're not really hearing any Democrats cry foul over it, I think just because there's such a clear allusion to, you know, that widely popular Joker figure that Heath Ledger played in that Batman movie.

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