The situation in Iraq was in part percipitated by bad faith efforts of Russia and France to weaken sanctions and inspections on Iraq that were already proving innefectual. Neither claimed to want to let Saddam out of his box, but that is what they were trying to do for the sake of contracts. You can try to gloss over this with trade numbers, but it doesn't matter that if the action was irrational when the data clearly shows what was going on. It also ignores the difference between an open economy (US) and a command and control one (Iraq).

If the US believed effective sanctions and inspections were a real option I do not think even George Bush would have gone to war. I think we could have had effective sanctions if France and Russia unequivocally backed force for failure to comply.

It is a joke to hammer America for "ignorance, double talk, and arrogance" and ignore the part those traits played in France and Russia's part in instigating this war. Both ignored Saddams history of complying only in the face of force, lied about their motives, and arrogantly thought they could force the US to act in their interest rather than US or Iraqi interest.

see ya