[Stirner]

The left's fear (or is it hope?) is that Iraq will become a Sharia based country like Saudi Arabia or, more likely, Iran. Sadaam and his boys tortured women, but at least on paper, women had more legal rights than in other Muslim countries, and apparently did sometimes occupy higher social roles in business, science, and even the military. The rationale is that it's all relative, that Sadaam was bad, that what may come will be even worse for women.

[Lazamataz]

The left's fear (or is it hope?) is that Iraq will become a Sharia based country like Saudi Arabia or, more likely, Iran. Sadaam and his boys tortured women, but at least on paper, women had more legal rights than in other Muslim countries, and apparently did sometimes occupy higher social roles in business, science, and even the military. The rationale is that it's all relative, that Sadaam was bad, that what may come will be even worse for women.

That's a rational point, but that is an argument for our further occupation, until we can ensure a secular government.

So either Dean wants us to stay and ensure that form of government, or he is a hypocrite.

[George W. Bush]

The left's fear (or is it hope?) is that Iraq will become a Sharia based country like Saudi Arabia or, more likely, Iran. Sadaam and his boys tortured women, but at least on paper, women had more legal rights than in other Muslim countries, and apparently did sometimes occupy higher social roles in business, science, and even the military.

Women weren't in burqas and could speak with men outside their household. Iraqi women were about as liberated as any Muslim women have ever been. Far more so than in other places except maybe the Turks, Palis and Jordanians.

Actually, it probably is a fair statement that women were better off unless they or their families opposed Saddam.

Saddam claimed to be a good Muslim but he was actually less religious than nearly all the other Muslim leaders.