Reply #17: I agree with your views, and know many others who do. K&R.

[Rhiannon12866]

Saddam was an ally of the Reagan and Bush Sr. administrations, and we gave him aid and weapons in his war with Iran. Any WMDs that have been found there have come from us. And you're absolutely right about the horrific death toll. As many Americans have now died there as died on 9/11, and that's not counting the Iraqi deaths, the "collateral damage" and the result of "insurgent" violence, in the hundreds of thousands, so many of them children, since the Iraqi population is very young, as you say.;(

Most people believe that we invaded Iraq as retribution for 9/11, which makes no sense, since Saddam was a secular leader and wouldn't have put up with terrorists in his country. Osama bin Laden called him "an infidel" because he didn't support his cause. Saddam may have been a tyrant and a bully, but he was once on our side and executing him will only foment more violence and more deaths in this already beleaguered region, violence begun when the U.S. launched an illegal wear against a third-world nation. *sigh*

Edited to include animation. This tells the story, as does this pic...

http://www.markfiore.com/animation/whoops.html