It's simple. It's all about the oil.

Iraq was not responsible for 9/11. Iraq was found to have no WMDs ( a major reason for the invasion). An 'evil dictator' was deposed and murdered/executed leaving the country and region in a far worse state than when he was in power.

Nice one George, Tony and Johnny.

What caused my anger there was not hate toward the United States, but anger at your bald lies, EasyTimes.

EasyTimes said, "My Arugments are sound and factual! Your vacuous post is testimony to the lack of substance people such as yourself have on the topic."

People have shown you to be wrong so I don't see how you can make that claim with such certainty unless it's arrogance blind or otherwise.

EasyTimes, "If you lift the UN sanctions you are back to square 1 and you have a murderous dictator with lots of money building his arsenal again to cause more problems in this world. Eventually you have to say enough is enough"

Apparently those sanctions were useless and ignored, since he was deemed a threat by people like you anyway. Your moral choice sacrifices the lives of several hundred thousand children, innocent victims who died because of those sanctions, for an hypothetical fear of a perceived situation? You ignore that the USA turned it's back on a Shia uprising in the early 90s, leading to their executions. You ignore that the USA sold chemical weapons to Saddam Hussein to be used against the Iranians in a war and which were later used on Kurds.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1991_uprisings_in_Iraq#U.S._non-intervention

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&contentId=A52241-2002Dec29
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/12/31/world/main534798.shtml
"Newly released documents show that U.S. officials, including Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, played a leading role in building up Iraq's military in the 1980s when Iraq was using chemical weapons, a newspaper reports."

Can anyone remember a war/invasion that America has started in the last 300 years that she has actually WON?

I can't.....interesting, isn't it?

I'm horrified at the suffering the Iraqi people have endured, both by their own regimes and from overbearing childish, international school bullies [(insert any country you like in this space)], who think "what's mine is mine and what's yours is mine for the taking"

They don't deserve any of this.

Well, it's been interesting - reading all the various opinions on this topic... So many emotions involved... However, what no one seems to be able to answer is - how much longer will our involvement go on?
U.S. President George W. Bush is trimming the number of US TROOPS by 30,000 to 130,000. Prime Minister John Howard is still holding firm at existing numbers of 1575 troops. Labor Opposition leader Kevin Rudd has undertaken to pull our troops out gradually when he wins the upcoming federal election ... and so it goes on ...

" Oh where are you coming from soldier, gaunt soldier
With weapons beyond any reach of my mind
With weapons so deadly the world must grow older
And die in its tracks if it does not turn kind.

Once again the critics have proven themselves to be just empty windbags! That’s why nobody listens to you lot. Full of animosity and spite they like to be the antagonists of any movement against there extreme left wing views.

Unless you have a better idea I suggest you sit there and be quite because although you are all very narcisstic your own elevated sense of yourself is hardly going to register on other peoples radars unless you have a workable idea. None of you do!

I know you all take schadenfreude from them Americans hard work but it only goes to show what ninnies you all are.

So in conclusion the Iraq war has not gone to plan. Its sad that many people have deid but leaving things as they were would not have been the right option due to the suffering of the Iraqi people the potential threat posed by Saddam. So commending the people who have tried to make a difference is the right thing to do.

Well, I'd agree with some elements of your last post there Easytimes, though I still think you're mostly wrong.
At least you're also disparaging far left views instead of mainstream left, which is better - I get so sick and tired of people saying the 'left' or the 'right' are right, when it's the fringe on either side that is always squawking the loudest, and they're always emotional rather than factual.

That being said Easytimes, there's several things here that need to be considered - and it takes more recognition of the complexity of the region.

For starters, Saddam was just one angry fish in a sea of dictatorships and extremists.
Funnily enough, as nasty as he may have been, Saddam represented a key plank in a delicate balancing act that existed in the region, and has now been shattered.
Ultimately, it's the simpletons who think it's simply a matter of getting rid of the baddies who make the most trouble.

Consider these aspects:

1) Saddam's number one enemy has always been Iran. On his hit list, the US came behind Iran and probably behind Israel as well.

So we had in effect, two dictators who nullified one another. They couldn't afford to attack anyone else, because it would leave them open, and if they attacked each other, I dare say the US wouldn't be all that concerned, provided the oil kept flowing.

Now that Iraq is gone, Iran is growing bold - I made this point ten months ago and it's more or less coming to fruition.
http://forum.onlineopinion.com.au/thread.asp?article=5373#67400

Cont'd