NY Times, January 27, 2003, John F. Burns:

"...Mr. Hussein's has been a tale of terror that scholars have compared to that of Stalin, whom the Iraqi leader is said to revere, even if his own brutalities have played out on a small scale. Stalin killed 20 million of his own people, historians have concluded. Even on a proportional basis, his crimes far surpass Mr. Hussein's, but figures of a million dead Iraqis, in war and through terror, may not be far from the mark, in a country of 22 million people."


Now back to TIAs words...

1 million over a 23 year rule averages about 120 per day, or about 3500 per month (and this includes casualties of the horrendously bloody Iran-Iraq war). Saddam was certainly a very bad man, but it seems the current situation is not vastly improved, if at all for most civilians.