I'm sorry. We're not talking about the New American Century anymore?

Yes, but in a tangential sort of way.

Doesn't your point make their success seem all the more unlikely?

My point wasn't that they would be successful. My point was, and is, that they will make the attempt. And that a lot of death and destruction will be the result. It seems that some people never learn from the mistakes of others.

Re: Saddam. I agree that his loyalties were only for his own agendas. But that is also true of the US (we are only loyal to our own agendas). We used Saddam for our purposes as much as the Soviets did. They may have provided him with the hardware he used against Iran, but we provided him with the deadly gasses he used against them and also against the Kurds.