Dear Paul,

You talk about the 'whining of the soft-left,' and point the finger at them. Then you mention the bloodiness of Saddam Hussein's regime...
Interesting.

So, just to jog your memory.

We had a situation where a $300 million
bribe to Saddam Hussein's regime became a tax deduction for the
AWB - approved by John Howard and under Mr Howard's laws. (Subsidised by Australia's hard working tax payers). The then treasurer, Peter
Costello explained rather quaintly, "Well we can't do anything about it."

I guess it depends on your political outlook - doesn't it?
Some can do no wrong, while others are accused of all sorts of things.
Politics is not filled with intrigue - is it?

I love posts like those from EasyTimes and PaulL truly,the idea that I, from the left have blood on my hands because of this murderer.
Can I highlight both your saviors have been in power ,total power for a very long time? why did they not fix it?
Who helped keep Saddam in weapons for his war in Iran?
Who kept Iran's dictator in power?
We humans should unite against these murdering dictators and the even worse power hungry puppet master country's that keep them in power.
I deify my lost in space Wil Robinson detractors to show me how the left, even the extreme truly loony left have kept such in power.
And tell me how we got Bush to do our bidding.
It is sad but true we together should be focused on getting such as Mugabe's supporters, those who kill and bash and those who profit from murder, to the hangman's platform but we are in truth in the hands of others national interests.

Dear Belly,

I really am amazed that people can't have non-partisan political discussions - without name calling or pointing fingers.

The point that I was trying to make in my previous post is - that
both sides of politics can be blamed for something, if you look closely enough.

As they say, "Power corrupts," and "Absolute Power, corrupts absolutely."

In a discussion, you have to dig deeper. Blaming is an easy thing to do. It's harder to come up with solutions.

I wish that we could lift the bar a bit in our discussions - and look
for solutions. We don't have to agree politically, but we don't have to resort to name calling either.

Belly,

The anti-war loonies ( who no doubt would have protested with “no blood for oil” placards during WW2) of the soft left have tied the hands of those who could do something about it. There can be no military intervention because if even the slightest thing went wrong the gov’t would find itself out on its ear.

You say >> “Can I highlight both your saviors have been in power ,total power for a very long time? why did they not fix it?”

You’re assuming an awful lot there Belly. Howard and Bush aren’t my saviours and I don’t sanctify them. And I definitely don’t deify them They may not have got it 100% right but at least they tried. On Bill Clintons watch 1,000,000 Rwandans were murdered, safe havens in Bosnia were overrun and whole villages of men massacred.

>> “Who helped keep Saddam in weapons for his war in Iran?”

So what?? You help someone out does that make their decisions yours for the rest of their life? Is it then impossible to disagree about anything?

>> “Who kept Iran's dictator in power?”

Who are you talking about? Ahmedinejhad and Kamanei?

Foxy

You say >> “We had a situation where a $300 million bribe to Saddam Hussein's regime became a tax deduction for the AWB”

It was an unpleasant incident, to be sure, but SO WHAT? Are you seriously trying to suggest that the Howard gov’t was trying to keep Saddam in power by supplying him with money? That’s just silly.

Idiots from the left offered themselves up as human shields to be used by Saddam to protect his missile batteries. Others pretended that the whole war was about lust for oil. It’s funny that the left hang on to these ideas of massive conspiracies in the face of the rather ordinary performance of Bush/Cheney.

I don’t pretend that Bush or Howard could do no wrong, I think they were both pretty ordinary, it’s just that the soft-left are so much worse.

Foxy if nothing else I must be true to the person I am.
Just as guilty as anyone else I believe the extremes damage our world.
That includes the extreme left.
I think however the thought the left or anti war are a reason for the many Mugabe's is quite stupid.
And I feel confident the host of such dictators are funded by both left and right.
PaulL you forgot the Shar of Iran, a western puppet who hurt his nation and helped hand it over to radicals who continue to do so.
Foxy however has one thing right.
Why can we fight to place blame for this horrible man on left or right?
Who of us would not agree he should be removed and face the courts for genocide?
If the would is ever to live in peace something like the United Nations must take action in such cases.
I have a question for posters in this thread , have any of you not shivered after seeing North Korean film of a brainwash suffering people?
A whole nation educated to love a monster? to never know the truth? the UN is useless surely?

Dear Paul,

May I suggest that you read the book,
"The New Rulers Of The World," by John Pilger.

In case you aren't aware, John Pilger is one
of the world's renowned investigating journalists
and documentary film-makers.

There's quite a bit in that book on
Saddam Hussein - which may be of interest to you.

Cheers.