I'm also troubled by our relationship with Saddam going back to previous administrations and I don't want to imply that I'm giving anyone a pass for turning a blind eye toward what was allowed to happen.  So we made a deal with the devil with hopes of minimizing certain influences in the region.  Anytime that happens you have to weigh the pros and cons of both and make a decision as to which road will get you further toward your goal. 

That begs the question...what is our goal?  I think the simple answer is a stable and free region.  Why should we care about stability in that region?  Oil.  I don't think it's any secret that oil is, has been and always will be a motivation for our being there.  Yes, I have said that in the past.  Does that mean that we're wrong for wanting to affect change in that part of the world?  I don't think so.  Not when you think about the dependence we have for our very existence upon the free flow of oil.  We may as well be running out of oxygen as well if the oil drys up. 

Like it or not we are absolutely dependent upon a steady supply of oil for the movement of commerce throughout our world.  Go stand out on a street corner and watch as trucks filled with goods and cars filled with people to buy those goods roll unendingly by and imagine if all that came to a screaching halt one day.  What would we do then?  Until we can come up with another source of energy to fuel our lives I think we have to do everything we can to maintain the flow of oil.  Is that being selfish?  In some ways yes.  But I also think that America and others in our position give so much more to this world in other ways that we've made the world a better place to be. 

I'm running out of time here as I have to leave for work but I didn't want to leave you hanging or think that I was ingoring your post. 

I'm all for freedom and for the good that comes with knowing you can have a choice in your future.  Is the war in Iraq only about the freedom of the Iraqis?  Of course not.  It's the sweetness which helps to make the medicine go down.  I don't know how else to say it.

Kevin g