Saddam gets rid of his Weapons of Mass Destruction, but is cagey about letting people know for sure, and he gets invaded. Gaddaffi announces he's getting rid of his, and suddenly he's everyone's friend.

I suppose the thing is, Saddam was shy about owning up, in case his opponents at home took advantage of the fact he wasn't in a position to gas them any more, whereas Gaddaffi is probably well-liked enough at home not to worry too much about that kind of thing.