assassination attempts. president reagan called him the mad dog of the middle east. but many say he is, frankly, crazy like a fox. and jonathan hunt with the news in new york city. >>jonathan: for 42 years, qaddafi has led the libyan people as king of kings, guide of the first of september, dean of arab rule, or any of the 14 different titles he has bestowed. to much of the rest of the world he is, simply, the mad dog of the middle east. he seesed fire in a bloodless cue at the age of 27, and his grip on power achieved through ruthless dictatorship never waivered until the arab spring this year. he played family members and loyal friends in key political and economic posts, seized control of libya's oil industry, and pumped billions of dollars interest his private bank account. he also encouraged global terrorism, and by 1980 turned libya into a haven for terrorist