When Saddam gassed his people, he was our guy against the Iranians. Didn't seem to bother us then, in fact, according to Senate investigations, we seem to have sold Saddam the means.
Using your anology, we would have been content to arm Hitler and tolorate his murder of millions of jews as long as he did our fighting for us.
When they were on their way (by all accounts at the time) to having nuclear weapons and refused, FOR YEARS, to allow the UN in to verify their compliance?
The US government knew who Saddam was when his scientists were invited to a conference on Nuclear weapons detonation.
The detonation conference. In 1989, the Pentagon and the Department of Energy invited three Iraqis to attend a "detonation conference" in Portland, Oregon in August. Financed by American taxpayers, the meeting brought together experts from around the world to explain to the Iraqis how to produce shock waves in any desired configuration. There were even lectures on "H.M.X.," the high explosive of choice for nuclear detonation, and on flyer plates, used to help produce the precise shock waves needed to ignite A-bombs. The UN found both H.M.X. and flyer plates at Iraq's main nuclear weapon development site. The three Iraqis who attended the conference came from the laboratory that provided parts for Iraq's first high explosive nuclear detonator. Testimony of Gary Milhollin, Before the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs October 27, 1992
But putting all that aside, weapons inspectors were allowed back into Iraq and were doing their job when we invaded.
We have sowed the wind and are reaping the whirlwind.
Your couterpoints are ridiculous. You cannot just say that since we backed him in the Iran-Iraq war that he was our guy. We allied ourselves with Stalin and then fought the Soviets everywhere in the world after WWII.
Here is the turning point, pure and simple. He invaded Kuwait with the goal of taking over that country and using the profits from Kuwaiti oil to pay off war debts. Then he was going after Saudi Arabia. We defeated him. He surrendered and agreed to surrender terms. He did not comply. We removed him from power. Now, we are rebuilding the country and we WILL be successful.