"Could anyone still say, 'this is worth 30,000 deaths'?"
Best to strip the original question down to something like this: let's assume you would get a pure and balanced democracy as the result of an invasion - assume no complications or corruption.
Could anyone still say, "this is worth 30,000 deaths"?
It occurred to me that when it comes down to it, that's not really a question that's yours to answer, or mine, or anybody who has been asking it here.
The Iraqis will decide if the toll is worth it or not. As wars for freedom go, it's on the low end.
And for every Iraqi family mourning a loss from this war, there are about thirty mourning a loss from the actions of Saddam's regime. And what did they get for that?