Every life that has been so abruptly extiguished is is important. Every life that's lost an awful tragedy.

Obviously you don't feel this way about Iraqi lives, lost during the Saddam regime at an average of 138 a day. Lives that are no longer being lost at this ruinous rate, although Iraqis are still dying from the insurgency. But since that wasn't reason number one for invasion, then it is apparently completely irrelevant.

My remarks have nothing to do partisan politics and the presidential election.

Are you frigging kidding? Do I have to go back and dig up your old posts, each of them tearing Bush a new one at the end? The majority of the current Iraq controversy is ALL about defeating Bush. In fact, it is the entire focus of the Left right now. But then, what isn't? Go ahead. Try and locate a major hot-burner issue on the Left that is not specifically directed as a political weapon at Bush. I'll wait.

The sanctions and inspections were working.

The sanctions were killing people for years, although not as many as advertised. This was accompanied throughout recent years by the loud and constant protests of the Left against the sanctions, or have we already rewritten that history too? So now the sanctions were a good idea? I'm having trouble keeping up.

Mr. Hussein was effectively contained and defanged. He posed no real threat to the American people.

You could certify that back in 2002? Personally? Wow. I prefer the certification of Saddam in a cell, and the continuing and thorough inspection of Iraq, thanks.