And I wonder why anyone calling himself a conservative is on this board defending Saddam Hussein.
The terms "freedom and democracy" have no meaning when they result in the establishment of an official state religion -- particularly when the religion in question (Islam) is so inherently unstable in the country in question (see the long-standing conflict between the Sunni and Shi'ites sects as a perfect example) basically ensures that the country can never be stable and never be "free and democratic" in any sense.