US will teach dissidents how to tell world of Saddam horror

A State Department official described the initiative of teaching the art of ‘‘spin’’ to Iraqi dissidents as part of a broader public diplomacy effort to influence decision-makers world over. ‘‘This is an attempt to ratchet up the public affairs message,’’ he said. ‘‘Americans talking about the horrors of Saddam Hussein is one thing. Iraqis who can speak with authority about it, you can’t put a value on it.’’

The Iraqis — most of who are prominent in the dissident community — will learn how to write opinion articles and speeches and how to craft the right kind of ‘‘sound bites’’ for television and radio shows. ‘‘You can do this stuff without a firm date on Iraq,’’ the State Department official said.