"If we hadn't invaded Iraq, all the bad would just have gone away, the little kites would be flying, the sanctions would just fade into rainbows, and all the deaths would be somewhere else where we wouldn't have to think about them."

No. If we hadn't invaided Iraq, 2000+ US troops would be alive. 2000+ families would not have lost sons, fathers, brothers

The 'liberation' of Iraq was NOT the job of the west. Never has been, never will be.

Consider this. Terrorists attack the western world because the consider our way of life to be wrong, and they want us to live our lives their way.

Then GWB invades Iraq because he considers their way of life to be wrong and wants them to live their lives his way.

Except one of them has directly lead to the death of at least 32000 people in three years to try and make the point.

Yes - people were dying at the hands of S.H. before the war and that was tragic, but take a list of countries that need 'liberating' due to human rights issues, and Iraq is FAR from top of the list.

"Now the general meme is that Iraq was harmless, had nothing to do with terrorism, and left alone, would always have been that way"

Ah - so the invaison was not to do with 'liberation' then, it was to eliminate a possible threat that might, at some point in the future, have caused a problem. Maybe.

One day Tom, ONE day, you will wake up and stop buying your governments bullshit.

Bottom line, you think it was your job to 'liberate' Iraq.

I think you're wrong and that it wasnt.

The rest is just bullshit layed on top of it.

Doug