"All those who claim that everything would have been better with Iraq under the rule of Saddam Hussein declare so now."

No takers? Bit different to the rush to proclaim belief in the fact that a nuclear Iran would pose no threat.

Bobert advises that I "Enlist!!!", that if I want a war then I must "enlist!!!" (Hey Bobert is !!! = SHOUTING?)

So "What you say is nuthin' more than BS, BS and more BS" if so Bobert it is BS, BS and more BS that can be backed-up and substantiated, which is a damn sight more than the drivel you and your fellow travellers come out with on this forum.

So "Saddam bluffed becasue it was all he had..." All he had to do what Bobert? Rhetorical question Bobert, Saddam lied and bluffed and acted in every way possible to make the world believe he still possessed WMD for two reasons, one solely for domestic purposes and the other international, to maintain his dream of becoming the leader of a pan-Arabist movement united against Israel, and also to counter Iran. Domestically, he required the people of Iraq including his regular armed forces to believe that he still possessed the capability to mount another Anfal campaign, he still required to maintain a credible threat to terrorise large sections of the population of Iraq.

One thing is for certain Bobert, it had absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with any external threat from the USA. Why am I so certain of that Bobert? Again a rhetorical question, because when he was faced with a similar threat in 1990, when he most certainly did possess WMD in abundance, he did not use them.

So Bobert, before I go off to enlist!!! I have to imagine myself, "the leader of Irag with enemies on every front and see what you would do if you really didn't have the means to defend yourself and were in the middle of sanctions which further crippled your ability to defend yourself..."

Now then, "enemies on every front" eh Bobert, well they were all of Saddam's own making. Among them number, an army that he could not trust beyond providing them with 24hrs supply of ammunition and fuel; more than 60% of a population that he had preyed upon and terrorised for 24 years. Saddam's Iraq was surrounded by neighbours that he had threatened and bullied over those same 24 years, two of them he had actually invaded and plundered.

Well Bobert, I'll let you into a little secret, in his place I would never have done anything remotely like what Saddam did.

Now this next bit is absolutely astounding:
"Do I view Saddam as some great hero??? No... He did what he had to do to survive fropm internal and external threats until Bush got a hard-on for his hide..."

"He did what he had to do to survive fropm internal and external threats" sort of like all the other villains of history (Ghengis Khan; Nero; Napoleon; Hitler; Stalin; Pol Pot; etc, etc) On your reasoning you would have done nothing against any of them, proof of that assumption being the lack of condemnation of what is, and has been, happening in Darfur for the past 20 years. It's ten times worse than what has happened in Iraq but not a peep out of any of you, why because it cannot be laid at George W. Bush's door, God are you pathetic, your hypocracy beggars description.

Example of how pathetic and self-centred comes from this jewel:

"It was never a queation whether or not the US military could put Saddam in a box... That was a given...

But what wasn't a given was the costs to do so..."

As the old saying goes - Freedom ain't free. One thing is for certain, you Bobert would never stir yourself off your ass for it.

Another classic example of socialist, left-wing whining, "Oh its all somebody else's fault":

"the domestic agenda is very much a part of the security of our country..." - Very true.

"We have kids who can'tr read..." - then maybe more parents should actually try parenting Bobert. Neither myself, my brother or my sister were taught to read in school, that job was done by my mother before we reached school age. My wife and I did exactly the same when we became parents. Now if we can do it then so can the rest as a parent its your job not the Governments.

"We have 40 million people leivibng in poverty..." Good heavens I never knew that the ancient germanic sport of "leivibng" was so popular in Poverty. 40 million people eh Bobert? Out of a population of 300 million, that's just over 13%, no wonder all the third world and its dog are trying their utmost to get into the US.

"We are deeply in debt to China..." Really Bobert? well simple matter of choice ould son, stop buying shit from them.

"Our kids can't think..." - Here we come back to parenting again Bobert, parents job Bobert not the Governments

"This is where the money could have gone..." Bobert both you and I know that with the crop of politicians you have not one single penny would have gone anywhere near those areas.

"Instead, we have another Vietnam on out hands..." Nothing like it Bobert, and you know that very well. At present you have less than 17% of your military deployed.

"Meanwhile, oil rich Russia is seanakingg abck up on US..." At $90 per barrel I hope they enjoy their "seanakingg" whatever that may be. They are sneaking back up on the good old USofA Bobert, because they have ditched all that communist crap, they don't give a hoot for civil rights, human rights and they will sell arms to anybody that wants them. But do I hear any condemnation from the likes of you - not a whisper, you see not GWB, so its alright eh?.

"Afganisatn is falling back into Takliban hands..." I could well believe it Bobert, but meanwhile in Afghanistan, the Taleban are getting their arses kicked very effectively.