[PGR88]

How many American lives did we waste for these idiots?

Sadly, I agree. I supported Bush and Iraqi Freedom. While we just don't know what the M.E. would look like with Saddam still there, I do not know what benefit the USA rec'd for our efforts. Seems we simply turned Iraq over to Iran or the Islamists.

[SargeK]

We tried it. I suppose it had to be tried - to give these animals the chance to evolve into something resembling Homo sapiens. Now we now it cannot be done so lets get ready for Phase II of this little struggle.

The opening act is playing out in Gaza right now. hasta la muerte.

[Cronos]

While we just don't know what the M.E. would look like with Saddam still there,

We can conjecture: in 1988 Saddam finished the 8 year war with Iran, having killed a large chunk of the fanatical Shias

In this he was sponsored by Saudia and the Gulf states (including Kuwait) who used him as a proxy against Shia Iran which they feared and fear (just as they use Egypt against Israel)

In 1990 he decided that they didn't give him enough money and that Kuwait was filching extra oil from the shared oil reserves (which, if I'm not mistaken, they WERE doing) and took over

We went in and the Saudi king was correct when he said "I just snap my hands and my blue-eyed slaves will come and fight and die for me" and my money

If we hadn't, then this is the scenario:

• Saddam controls Kuwait and huge oil reserves,
• he threatens the Saudis who use their money for their own defence rather than for sponsoring terrorism across the world
• he restarts the war with Iran, possibly defeating them and slaughtering many (he called "persians are like flies") and knocks the ayatollah's out of power. The remnant of Iran would be secular
• Al Qaeda and other Sunni sponsored terrorist groups are focused on Iraq to knock out the secular dictator who they hated, so no time to focus on America or India or Israel or Europe
• the Christians in Iraq are cowed (as they have been for 1400 years) but surviving and thriving unlike now when 90% have been chased out of Iraq)
• Israel is threatened, but this time by a concrete enemy
• The Syrians are against Iraq and form an Arab 'containment', but they can't defeat Iraq, so there is an uneasy stand-off and the Syrians dont' focus on Israel so much
• Hizbullah in Lebanon, a Shia organization, rails against Saddam's persecution of Shias in Iraq and Iran
• Hamas in Gaza rails against SAddam's cowing of the "holy land" of Saudia
• The Pakis don't get billion$ of weapons etc from us and become a third-rate power unable to produce their nukes or support the Talibs adequately to take over Afghanistan
• 9/11 never happens...
• we save trillion$ by not fighting in Iraq gulf war I and II or afghanistan and we dont' go into recession
• thousands of American servicemen are still alive

All in all, a much better world for America and Europe, about the same level of danger for Israel.

Note -- in some ways Dubya was just following a nearly inevitable path after Gulf War I...

[uncommonsense]

"While we just don't know what the M.E. would look like with Saddam still there, I do not know what benefit the USA rec'd for our efforts. Seems we simply turned Iraq over to Iran or the Islamists."

We all know "third time's a charm", so let's arm the Syrian rabbles and get some boots on the ground. We'll talk nice to them, overlook Iranian subversion, and we'll pump a trillion $'s into building them up to a 20th century power (well, gotta start somewhere). That Libyan fiasco, let's pretend we didn't really help them because the efforts cost under $1 trillion and only had a little "bump in the road" in terms of casualties.

/sarc

[1010RD]

The history of Islam is of a people dominated by one tyrant or another. It’s a philosophical approach to government and endorsed by the Koran. Arabs are tribalistic.

I don’t think Egypt, Libya, or Iraq are better off without Mubarak, Qadaffi, or Saddam. Certainly, the Christian and other minorities in those countries don’t feel they are better off.

The Bushes were working for the Saudi Caliphate or some other master.

[Recovering Ex-hippie]

We can thank obama for not even having a prescence there.
Bush won the war, obama lost it.

ron Paul is not looking so crazy....maybe I’ll become a Ronbot.ha.

[driftdiver]

Its Obama’s policies which have led to this. He’s pushed Iraq this way just like he’s pushing other Arab countries.

[GrandJediMasterYoda]

I said from the start we should have "tested some nukes" over there after 911. It worked wonders for the Japanese. The Japanese during WW2 made Al-Qaeda look like the teletubbies, they were a 100 times more vicious and insane. A couple well placed nukes and here we are today where the most aggressive thing they do is pushing Hello Kitty on us.

"Surrender immediately or - or I will pamper you!"