"Even a case of American having unequivocally supported an unequivocally depostic regime, that of the Shah of Iran, makes the point. The Shah never would have gotten involved in that horrible, senseless and destructive war with Iraq. If we had managed to keep the Shah or a similar monarch in power, therefore, a million or two (whatever the figure is) Iranians and Iraqis who today are dead would instead still be alive. Similarly if our efforts to kill Sadam Hussein had succeded a million more Iraqis (the children your friend bin Laden mentioned, dead because Sadam wouldn't negotiate for the easing of sanctions) might be alive today. "
You have got to be kidding. Iran didn't get into the war with Iraq. The war was started by Iraq with the support of the US. The Iranians then demanded "unconditional surrender" from Iraq. They got that idea from the US.
I know who overtly started the Iran-Iraq war, but it still would never have been fought with the Shah or a like minded successor in control of Iran. If I were Sadam, and the Iran fanatics were were trying to start a revolution in my country, I probably would have attacked to. Point remains the war wouldn't have happened without the Iranian revolution.