Read stuff on people like anti-social psychopaths, and you will see how people can seem like the most charming, honest, and simple people on the planet, and can also act in disregard of any moral rule or law at the same time.

Part of Saddam's power came from the fact that he was able to convince people that his life and wellbeing were somehow more important than their own or their countrymens'. You can only do that through fear and subjugation for so long. People like him live on the normal people who get the idea that he's really a great guy, who's like them but just somehow better, and somehow they want to protect him on a deeper and more personal level. Combine those masses with people who are afraid to revolt because they know they will be killed immediately, and you have one contained society.

Ever wonder how Kim Jong-Il, the single most goofy-midget-insane dictator in history, has managed to prevent a revolt in one of the most starved countries in asia? It's not his glasses and platform shoes; it's a combination of the traits that are similar to what Saddam has.