THE GULF WAR : Saddam Count

A week after the Persian Gulf began, it seems a popular NAME FOR BABY BOYS in some Mideast countries is Saddam. One Jordanian doctor said that in the past week, up to HALF OF HIS PATIENTS named their infants Saddam. Several maternity hospitals said the name Saddam--which means “confrontational� in Arabic--was almost unknown in Jordan before Iraq’s Aug. 2 invasion of Kuwait. Said one Palestinian mother, cradling her 6-day-old Saddam: “He is the only modern Arab leader who has defended the Arab nation and is saying no to the West.�