Saddam nostalgia? Which lines did you read between to get that??

People in Saddam's Iraq weren't eaxctly slaves, Tom. If you want to define them that way, I would think you would have to include a whole lot of people living in inescapable povery in the US.

However, even though Saddam was terrible, does that mean that nothing he did was any good at all? Iraq did have good hospitals, good schools, good infrastructure - at least for a significant part of the population. You seem to take great pains to chastise anyone who criticises Bush for not acknowledging the good things he did. Why is it so hard to admit that at least a fair number of people in Iraq had a reasonably good life?

One could look at the US, with it's high murder rates, pockets of extreme poverty, etc, and say that the population as a whole is enslaved, downtrodden, deserving of liberation... but that wouldn't be realistic. Certainly the average person in Iraq had a lower standard of living that the average American (as does everone else in the world), but that doesn't mean that everyone was living in filth with no modern conveniences.

And by the way, how is it that the average Iraqi is better off today that they were under Saddam? Yes there are many who have less to fear from secret police or whatever, but there are many who have had their way of life destroyed, who are living without adequate power and roads, and with the fear of more or less uncontrolled criminals. They didn't ask for that.

And of course it will take time to rebuild, but will the US stick it out? Mark lointed out that the GDP per capita in Iraq is only $2,400 compared to $37,600 for the US, $29,400 for Canada, and $19,000 for Israel... but for Afghanistan it's only $700. Certainly there are huge differences in resources and history, but as far as I can see the rebuilding of Afghanistan isn't exactly racing along. Why should the world and Iraqis expect Iraq to be any different?

Saddam was bad, yes, but the method of his removal was pretty terrible too. One could have appendicitis and function reasonably well for a while, but if it was removed with a rusty pocket-knife, it would be gone but the patient might not be in too good shape. And if adequate antibiotics are not supplied, it could well mean death. Everyone may agree that an appendectomy is necessary, but not on the methods used.