[i_dont_chat]

This third reason deserves repeating:

Reminder: this was published in 2002.

The third kind of reason for removing Saddam Hussein is his connection to the terrorists who have been attacking the US, especially Al Qaeda. I am not referring to the argument that Ramzi Yousef was an Iraqi intelligence agent and therefore that Saddam was behind WTC1, or that Mohammed Atta received his instructions from the Iraqi intelligence officer he met in Prague before flying a 767 into the WTC.

For the sake of the argument we can assume that Bin Laden and Al Qaeda, not Iraq, were the moving forces in both WTC bombings, and other attacks against Americans. But there is substantial evidence that Iraq has been a supporter of Al Qaeda for years before and after 9/11, knowing that Al Qaeda was engaged in attacking the US. Deliberately helping an organization like Al Qaeda is an act of war against the US.

Of course Iraq is not the only country to help Al Qaeda. They have also been helped by Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and probably Syria. We went after Afghanistan first, somebody must be second; we can’t be required to deal with everybody at the same time.