Saddam Hussein was not even a marginally effective leader of Iraq, and the fact is this: we would have ended up in Iraq sooner or later because of Hussein's sociopathic mind. We made a promise to future generations that another Holocaust would not happen on our watch, and despite the belief that this is an issue about oil or revenge, Saddam Hussein (or his successor if there had been a coup) would have forced the issue of our intervention on others' behalf. True, our administration is given a "C" for average management of a complex issue which needed a highly qualified response, but the fact is, we would have been in Iraq regardless of who our administration had been.

surely the invasion of Iraq was purely about politics
oil and keeping ISRAEL a regional power and entrench-
ing America influence in the region.Shame to the war
mongers in America.When shall America learn from its
stumbling?

As one bad dictator falls, another rises. Saddam may have had WMD's, but I don't think he was even close to having nuclear weapons. In my opinion, Iraq was no where near the threat we were lead to believe. I think Iran is a much greater threat than Iraq could have ever been. Iran is so close to having nuclear weapons it isn't even funny, in fact it is down right scary. And now Iran's president has threatened one of it neighboring countries. If the U.S. is in the buisness of removing hostile dictators from office, we should have invaded Iran instead of Iraq.

Saddam is a monster but he was likely the "balance point" of the Middle East. He had nothing to do with America's 9/11 attack and was a threat to both his neighbors, Syria and Iran, especially Iran. With 8 more dead Americans this past weekend, the price of our mistake in Iraq is just too high. We are now at 2695 dead and thousands of wounded. This military adventure will not result in the birth of democracy.

Iraq was clearly better off under Saddam??? I guess Germany was better off under Hitler? and the USSR was better off under Stalin? and Italy was better off under Musolini? and Cuba is better off under Castro? That is why people are willing to make the 90 mile trek on make shift boats and anything that can tie together that will float just to make it the United States. Because they are SO MUCH better off under their dictators and oppressive leaders. No the US hasn't been attacked by Iraq as of yet, but bet your bottom dollar if Iraq thought they had the means and the strength to overrun this GREAT nation, they would have done it YEARS ago, just like they did to their neighbors to the north, Kuwait. GOD BLESS THE USA!!!

I know Saddam was a very bad leader of an oil rich country...but is this ill advised war about Saddam or oil...or spreading democracy where democrcay is not welcome...or revenge for a fathers failure...It is sad to think that the greatest country in the world created a war for no reason...took out a tyrant leader with no replacment or exit stratagy in mind .... and created ill will around the world toward Americans ...

We are the modern Roman Empire and we have spread our reach too far...I am afraid we have grossly miscalculated the size and scope of world today...Lest we forget we are only 4% of the world's population....The Roman Empire was the world's greatest power at it's height during it's time.....Today ..it does not exist...

Do you think anybody in the Whitehouse took world history?

I was amazed to read some of these comments. Sometimes it seems that our citizens lean so far right or left that they don't even know how to stand up straight anymore.

We are in Iraq. There is not any proof that President Bush "deliberately" misled this nation. Saying it over and over does not make it the truth.

The war in Iraq and the removal of Saddam is not a football game people. These are our troops and our government. Many mistakes have been made over many decades, but as long as our nation is run by simple human beings, there will be mistakes. The biggest mistake would be not facing the fact that radicals who are willing to kill and attack our country need to be stopped. Our government does have more information than the average citizen.

I have no doubt that errors have been made in fighting the war in Iraq, but we need to remember that every opportunity was given to Saddam to show that the country had no weapons of mass destruction and it not only failed to do that, but refused to do that.

No proof of Bush's deliberate misleading of this nation ? What about 'Yellow Cake'? Remember that? Bush used claims made by a known un-reliable source when addressing the US people!

Also, it's hard to have proof when the gov't deliberately avoids following laws which produce a trail of proof. You know, like spying without a warrant? Wouldn't you know that spying and not telling a judge means that there is no paper-trail!

I have a hard time believing that the mess that is Iraq is a series of 'honest mistakes'.

There was worse genocide going on in Africa...in Sudan there was an anti-Christian violent campaign.

I don't think Saddam really had any useful weapons...certainly not the WMDs were were all terrorized with by the Bush Administration. He just didn't like the idea of the US pushing for the UN to investigate him...when the UN never investigates the US.

Many Americans seem to think that 'might makes right' on the world stage. I wonder what those same people would do if they were beaten up and robbed by a stronger person. Hey...it's all good...that person was more powerful so it's OK if he pushes you arround!

Obviously President Bush has a hidden agenda. Some justifiable reason for being in Iraq. It would be wonderful if all Islamic nations would embrace democracy as the premier form of government. Bush may think Iraq will do so and thereby set the example for others to follow. However - people that live in the real world know this as impossible as expecting Americans would accept a dictatorial monarchy like that which has ruled Iraq for thousands of years. Under the Bush admin we are inching our way in that direction.

Which brings us back to the hidden agenda. A secret so highly guarded that after three plus years of US occupation the World still has not been informed of the justifiable reason. Much less the American people that are footing the bill in cost of lives as well as dollars. What could Iraq possibly have worth destroying our international reputation as champions of freedom and democracy ? And who is profiting by our continued presence there ? It is time our administration set a deadline for withdrawal. Force Iraq to stand up on it's own feet and stop siphoning the psyche of the American people. Bush has his foot in his foot in his mouth and is chasing goblins where none are to be found. The President has single handedly created more international terrorists and enemies than this nation ever had prior to his bumbling efforts. Let us leave Iraq and start concentrating on the real enemies in the War on Terrorism.

"We have been in Iraq almost as long as we were in WWII"....yes, we have been in there that long, but how long did we stay in Japan or Germany after WWII? Oh wait...we still have troops in those countries...

"This military adventure will not result in the birth of democracy" Democracy has already been born in Iraq, it's not a matter of whether or not it will be born, but how long it will survive. How long it will survive is directly related to whether or not we withdraw our troops from that country. It is like when you are planting a tree and have to use a stake to support it until it get's strong enough to hold it's own weight, then you remove the stake.

Were we brought into Iraq for the wrong reasons? Yes. Was Saddam a bad person who defied the world much like Hitler pre-1939? Yes. Should he have been taken out of power by his own people? Yes.

The thing is that when the Shia's revolted after Desert Storm and we promised to help them, we stood on the sideline and watched them get slaughtered, They tried, and we let them lose.

Honestly though none of that matters. We are there now, the debate of why we were put there is moot at this point. We are where we are, and to leave would throw the country into a civil war, which would allow Iran to influence the Shia's to introduce a new Islamic Caliphate and Sharia Monarchy. As stated, Iran is a giant threat, and it too is ruled by a mad man. Now, we have troops on each side of his country.

All that said, we have been breaking our word and ruining our image with middle eastern countries since Britain and France colonized them before WWI. Anyone remember Lawrence of Arabia? Or the promises we made to them that we revoked? How about how we then decided to draw map lines in the Middle East to our own liking, paying no attention to cultures or traditionally different regions? Perhaps you don't remember all of those broken promises, or never heard of them. But truth be told, our image there has been bad before Bush's time, not to say that he has helped it any.

These people are raised from a young age with people blaming their problems on the West. Their propaganda as much as our mistakes fuel the hatred and mistrust that they have for us. This is a region that is ruled by a relatively small group of educated people who know what they are doing and are using their abilities to indoctrine their hate into the uneducated people. Most of the people who are not interested in that and are educated have already left the region, or are smart enough to not speak up for fear of death. In order for the Middle East to trust us again and for our image to improve, we have to stay true to our word and stay there until that tree is able to stand on it's own weight, like we said we would. Not only will this help our image, but it will set up a place for moderate voices to be heard in that part of the world, and for a new generation of educated people to see the truth for themselves.

Insha-allah, one day we will all be able to live peacefully with each other, whether you be a Muslim or one of the "people of the books", because as Christians say, turn the other cheek and live in peace with your neighbor, and as the Holy Koran says, "they have their book, and you have yours, let Allah judge them"

In response to Kathleen McCain,
There is proof that Bush deliberately misled the American people. You must have missed the 6 months leading up to the war, where everyone and their mother in the Bush administration beat the war drum. WMD, "nucular" weapons, dead Iraqis, imminent threat, Aunti Em! Toto! These were talking points put out by the Bush administration, which is led by... you guessed it! Bush. Whether the lies come directly from his lips to the media, or through his monkeys, it is still a lie nonetheless. Oh, and then there is the whole "brutal dictator" thing, with video of Iraqis getting their heads and limbs cut off. That really through America into a panic, didn't it? We must step in, with our high morals, and stop these injustices. That's the reason we bombed the snot out of them, in a campaign called "Shock and Awe". With all of our manpower, and technology, we have yet to manage to stop people from getting their heads or limbs cut off. Why? Because it has been that way in the Middle East for thousands of years, and will continue being that way until Bush finds a way to destroy the planet. That will surely end the head-chopping. Other than that, nothing will change. SuperBush will not fly into the region in his flight suit and save the day. yes, there have been errors in this little war. There have been more errors in this war, than in most previous wars put together. In the Navy, this is what is called a "soup sandwich". The Army has a more vulgar term. The biggest error was Bush's policy of pre-emptive strikes. We don't tolerate pre-emptive strikes in our public school systems, yet, it is considered sound foreign policy. Clue: pre-emptive strikes are not foreign policy, they are bullying. The day I see a nuke strapped to the back of a camel, swimming across the Pacific... maybe I will change my views. Maybe then, SuperBush can don his flight suit and save the day! Mission Accomplished!

A few points:

1)Saddam turned over all the documentation he had to the UN. We declared it to be insufficient, and when we asked where the missing documentation was, we were told quite simply that those records had been in an installation we had targetted as part of the military infrastructure, and destroyed.

2)It is impossible to prove a negative. You can never prove something does not exist, only that it hasn't been found. That's pretty much the core arguement of conservative commentators when asked 'where are the WMDs?' The shrug and say 'just because we haven't found them yet doesn't mean they aren't there'. So, if our own inability to find actual WMDs (not Iran-Iraq War-era decommissioned shells that might be able to give you a rash) cannot be taken as evidence of the lack of WMDs, what proof could Saddam ever have offered that would have been sufficient? After all...

3)Saddam allowed the UN inspectors in. Saddam didn't order them out. Bush did. Go on and check your local newspaper archives for the 7-10 days before the beginning of the war. Bush ordered the UN inspectors out, to keep them from being endangered by the imminent invasion he no longer wanted to wait to unleash.

Is Iraq better off without Saddam? In the sense of immediate peace, quiet, and social order? No, but peace & quiet are highly overrated. In the long term, the Iraqi people have more of a chance at a free, open society than they did under Saddam. Whether they can make it work, or even really want to, is another matter.

Democracy cannot be imposed from outside, it has to be something that comes from within the psyche of the people expected to live under it. Even in our own history, there has been uncertainty from the very beginning as to whether we could make it work. Ben Franklin, when asked what kind of government the Constitutional Convention had given us, responded, "A republic, if you can keep it."

In the end, nothing we do.... NOTHING... changes the basic equation. The Iraqi government is getting set in place... it's up to THEM to keep it.

Forty thousand people die in this country each year in automobile accidents. Four thousand people died in one morning in the attack on the world trade center. Each human life is precious but let's put it in perspective. When we went in to Iraq there were expectations that tens of thousands may die. It is nothing short of remarkable that in over three years less than three thousand of our troops have been killed. Each one of them is a hero and deserves our full and undivided support and thanks. Anyone who doesn't believe that terrorists are behind the violence in Iraq is living in a dream world or too blinded by their political biases to see the truth.

War is a last resort of most of our military advisors, including Colin Powell. Isn't iteresting that no one in the current administration was in the military. We went to war in Iraq with no exit strategy, and no idea of the civil strife and disruption this would cause. We apparently learned nothing from the British and French who preceeded us in trying to "civilize" this country. Now we are embroiled in a war costing us a Billion Plus a week with no idea as to how to get out of this mess other that to "stay the course". I support our troops (God Bless Them) but how can one support such an ill conceived war as this one.

Saddam was austed from power, detained and tried for killing over hundred of Iraqi citizens. Thats fine.Now who is to be tried next for the hundred of thousand lives lost in a war profelled by ambitious propaganda and arogance.
I only hope that in the nearest future, these perceived arogance of some world leaders would stop. It is making them myopic and quensequently taking very wrong decissions that is not only putting US and europe at risk but the whole world at large.

The indians were called canibals,the blacks sub humans, the arabs terrorist,it was and is still being used for other peoples wealth .LAND, GOLD &DIAMOND , OIL. Iraq was no problem to the world Bush and his inner circle must be tried for war crimes.too many people are dying in Iraq

All of you writing this BS about Iraq being better under Saddam, and how he never did anything to anyone and how Bush is a war mongrel. How many of you sorry liberals have actually been to Iraq? I bet none. You get all of your information from CNN and base your opinions on that. I have been to Iraq I rolled up during the invasion and saw the people there living in mud huts starving to death because Saddam was keeping all the food for himself. I went through the palaces and found the torture chambers that made me sick to my stomach just looking at them. Think about this for a second when you are sitting here on your computer in your air conditioned office sipping your Starbucks. As you sit there and think to yourself how your life sucks and everyone hates your yuppy ass, think about how most of the population over there doesn't even have enough food to feed themselves let alone their family, no running water and most have never even seen a computer. Saddam is a person who needed to be stopped. He muredered his own people to test chemical weapons. I have never known Bush to do such a thing yet some of you compare Bush to Saddam. Be sure not to spill your cappuccino as you think how unfair life is to you.

What comes on Bush's agenda after Iraq? Iran. Then what? Syria will follow; but not Libia, or the Sudan, or North Korea. Don't you see you fools? The United States is fighting ISRAEL's enemies, not American enemies. Our soldiers' blood is shed for nothing, not to protect our country, our citizens, or our boarders, but Israel's. Wake up people!

Regardless of the reasons for going into Iraq, the world bought into the reasons initially and acted. Monday morning quarterbacking has given some insites into the intelligent community assumptions, many of which were not correct. Intelligence gathering is not an exact science with spies, counterintelligence and secrecy of foreign governments adding threads of misdirection. I do not believe that President Bush mislead anyone, he was acting on information that was universally believed to be true. He is responsible for our well being and he takes that responsibility seriously, for which I am gratefull. We went into Iraq and we must prevail.

A very good military tactic is to define the battlefield and select the location and time that battles will be fought. The United States is for whatever reason defining the battlefield in Iraq and in doing so is diverting hostile resource away from the homeland. It is an undeniable fact that America has been safe since being on the offense.

In the fight against Islamic Faciests, we are immensly unpopular. Maybe it has something to do with impeading their vision of world domination. It is difficult for Americans to visualize people who wish us harm for no real reason. There is evil in the world and it can play out in our backyards involving our families and neighbors if we retreat as many advocate? Is this the future you want for your friends and family?

The world did not buy into the reasons for this war, only a handful of nations did (Don't forget Poland!) while the rest expressed their disbelief in the US's 'proof'.

If you believe it is OK to go blow up someone else's country so you won't have to fight a war on your own soil...do not be surprised when world opinion turns against you.

Which nation will be the next to be destroyed and 'rebuilt' by the United States? The US may be powerful, but economically we are falling off. Our over-priced military can't stop rebel groups with post-WWII weaponry from turning a nation into a battleground.

The 'Islamic Facists' have many reasons to wish us harm. Our nation's meddling in their local governments. Our nation's arming of rebel groups which bring destruction to nations. Our complicity in the creation of the Nation of Israel...an act which wasn't exactly fair to the people already living there. A sort of international 'emminent domain' if you will.

Yeah...they hate us for no reason at all. We never did anything to them. Kool-aid tastes good!

Saddam did try to acquire yellowcake.
Have you people even read the Butler report? Silberrman Robb report? Senate Intel report on postwar Iraq?

There's a difference between bias and just sheer ignorance.

To say that Bush is as bad as Saddam or that Iraq is worse now than under Saddam is ignorance. It's not bias its a fundamental departure from reality.

What does it take for people to believe that Saddam was sponsoring al qaeda (although not 9-11 specifically)? Detainee admissions? got them. Documents admitting so? Got them. Democrats and Republican's who have seen the intel reporting it? Got that.

Whether or not you support the invasion at least make the decision based on Saddam keeping all the precursors for chemical and bio weapons as well as the intent to produce the weapons (evidence in numerous recorded Iraqi written memos and audio tapes) and his sporadic support of terrorists groups, including al Qaeda. His regime passed along chemical and biological weapons manuals to them (numerous members of Saddam's regime and al Qaeda have admitted so).

That doesn't mean the war has been fought perfectly or the case wasn't based on a lot of faulty intel, it was. It just unbelievably ignorant some of the comments on here about Saddam being "contained" "no threat" "no worse than Bush" "stabilizing the Middle East", etc.

What in the world is wrong with you people??? I really feel bad for people who know this little.

I really recommend people listen to that interview with Clinton's military aide Buzz Patterson at www.regimeofterror.com.

It's nice to finally know that "Reality" has finally become apparent to the "Butcher of Baghdad". You hear in the news how he "Defiantly resists" during his legal proceedings and rejects the authority of those who judge him.

Like Milosovic, I figured he would live in "His Fantasy World" awaiting the opportunity to restore his freedom and power. I thought he would continue to beleive that he was "Untouchable" until the noose is placed around his neck. Hearing from a "normal person" who finds out that Saddam's ability to project "fear" is gone when you test it is great. It will be the last nail in the coffin on his personallity cult withing Iraq. Decades after his death, Stalin is a name that still projects fear into the adverage Russian. Saddam will be the but of numerous jokes and curses.

It's nice to see that these "Butchers" are no longer getting away. Up until a few years ago, when they lost power, they managed to live comfortably in some other country far away.. look at Pinochet, Idi Amin, and so many others. Now justice is catching up: Charles Taylor is locked away awaiting trial, Milosovic died during his trial, Noriega is rotting in jail, and Chouchescu died in front of a firing squad. Something that Saddam probably thinks about every day.

Saddam will still show us a "Public Face of Defiance", but reporting of how he acts when cameras aren't pointed at him and he doesn't know he's being watched will let the world know the true measure of him.

To all of you who detest the Iraq War....Irregardless of how you feel, you should support our Soldiers...What would your tune be if your only Son was in Iraq at this time. At his own choice...One that loves his family, his country, his fellowman, and his freedom that he is willing to put himself in harms way..Would to God that more of our Americans would stop their constant bellyaching and take a stand. Sometimes one has to do things that are not popular...but are vital to our every day style of living....Lets support our Soldiers...At least you live in a country who is willing to take a stand for right and wrong!!!!! At least you live in a country that you can voice your opinion...You are only seeing one side of this war.. The media do not report the good that is being done by our Soldiers!!!!!!

That interview at http://regimeofterror.com/archives/2006/08/interview_with_lt_col_buzz_pat/
is definitely worth listening to.

If anyone wants to know when al Qaeda really started attacking the U.S. and what the U.S. gov't knew and when it knew it (especially about the government knowing Saddam gave al-Qaeda $300,000 in 1998) I'd suggest listening to it.
Near attempted assassinations of UBL and Saddam during the 90's. Great stuff!

I just may be on the LOWER ENLISTED side of the US Army, but I still served in OIF. This is the reason taht we are here. To defend what I hold so near and dear to my heart, DEMOCRACY. Without this due process, that so vary many of us take for granted everyday, we would, and will, have monsters like Saddam, Hitler, Mousellini, jsut to name a few, running around this world, doing what they feel like. That is why I serve. To protect my fellow countrymen. Weather from Iraq to Gremany, I protect all that need our help. NO MATTER WHAT OR WHERE IN THE WORLD