Is world better without Saddam?

[abaris]

I think that you've fixated on Saddams importance to the exclusion of our own involvement in all of that.  We obviously didn't have to get rid of the army to get rid of Saddam, nor did we in actuality (as you mention..they just changed the patches on their shirts).  Even if we were required to do so we did not have to leave them stripped of an army, recall that we were supposed to cover them until they were trained?  

You think that we didn't know what we were in?  How did all those experts (and yourself) make such good predictions, then?

What you fail to notice is, one error led to the other. There was one Iraqi crook, I can't remembber his name, at that time, the US were largely relying on. He was exposed, after the fact. But the damage was already done. Just the same as with the one and only WMD source, who first tried his luck with the German BND, and being found unreliablle by the Germans, offered himself up to the CIA.

It isn't a miracle that the predictions were right. I was watching European as well as American news coverage at that time. The Europeans foretold that there will ensue a conflict between Sunnis, not wanting to take the backseat, and the Shia majority. The American coverage did no such thing.

It's common sense, actually. And the most obvious part of it is Brehmer disbanding the Iraqui army. Probably not under his own steam, but he was the one issuing the order. So, claiming to know what you were in for, comes over as a little bit naive. It started with the little nuisances, such as securing the oil ministery, but failing to secure the museums, where countless irreplaceable artifacts were instantly looted. Probably to end up in soome private collection. And it ended with a slap to the face of countless people, suddenly losing their livelihood.

That's only scratching the surface, but it points to the fact of having no plan beyond toppling Saddam.