"The status quo was not stable. Sanctions were a complete failure, except at hurting the average Iraqi. Saddam was largely ignoring the U.N., except when he was leading them down the primrose path. We can see right now how successful U.N. diplomacy is at disarming Iran. The people tried revolution after the first Gulf War. They died."

You might be taken as suggesting that the revolution was complete failure. But in fact the Kurds fought against all odds, and in the end we finally stepped in to help them turn the tide. So the Kurds succeeded. The South was a different story.

And with the Kurds lies a third option but it was fraught with difficult and perhaps insurmountable problems. And in terms saving life and less misery in general the option with took was the best.