We do not know that. We do not know if life in Iraq was one whit more stable under Hussein than it is now because they did not have a free press and we were not privy to the daily body count as we now are. The fact that we have uncovered over 400 mass graves from Hussein's reign tells me that the situation there was NEVER stable. We just didn't hear about it every day.
The international press would have heard of car bombs leveling marketplaces and would have seen tanks and the Republican Guards in the streets of Baghdad and other cities. If the press wouldn't have reported what's happening, travelers and the Iranians would have.
I'm not suggesting that we do like what Saddam did, however, terrorists and their enablers are not afraid of us because they know that we respect our values.
My point is that the violent history of Iraq dictates the use of extreme force inside and outside Iraq (bomb Iran) if you want to prevail. That said, the situation is aggravated by al Qa'eda and the Iranian mullahs.
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