NBC reports that Saddam Hussein will be dead by Sunday.

Iraqis in Orange County, Calif., react.

Latest :

As Saddam Hussein’s lawyer made a last-ditch effort to impede his execution Thursday, the White House was preparing for the ousted dictator to be hanged as early as this weekend, a senior administration official said. The timetable was based on information that U.S. officials in Baghdad received from the Iraqi government. But, there were differing accounts.

Iraq’s deputy justice minister, Bosho Ibrahim, said Saddam shouldn’t be hanged for another few weeks. “The law does not say within 30 days, it says after the lapse of 30 days,” Ibrahim said.

He did not explain the discrepancy between his interpretation and the court’s, nor could he give a specific execution date…

…Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman acknowledged there was concern about a possible surge of violence after the execution. “I’m sure the Iraqi government is thinking through that and working with the coalition in terms of the impact that could have,” he said in Washington.