Yes, he appears to have written earlier books and articles portraying Saddam Hussein as a murderous butcher. I suspect that was during the clinton years, when Saddam was one of the official villains, and the press all fell in line.
My take on this guy is that he writes and gives speeches for bucks. So he says whatever the folks who control most of the publishing houses and media sources want to hear. This would also help him get bigger speaker fees.
This article clearly panders to the New York Times.
Check out who writes for Benador Associates. As I wrote earlier, I think the Times may have given the dispiriting title to the article. My take on the article is that it's a plea to amend the Iraqi Constitution. http://www.benadorassociates.com/members.php