When we invaded Afghanistan for the attack on the Trade Towers, the high moral ground was ours, our Nato allies joined with us, and western civ presented a somewhat united front to a war on terrorism.
Saddam Hussein did not attack the Trade Towers. Yes, he killed Kurds. Kim Il-Sung killed many more North Koreans, but he’s still in power and in the interim has acquired nukes for real. Hussein may have been faking nuks. I actually think he wasn’t, that the evidence was driven to the Bakaa Valley in a series of tractor-trailers shipments. We were aware of the truck movements and did nothing about it. Chalk up one more mistake.
Those who brandish the presence of Al Quada in Iraq now as justification for the invasion back weren’t using that reason back then.
As to ‘fighting them there so we won’t have to fight them here,’ we could have much more easily been fighting the same people in Afghanistan so we wouldn’t have to fight them here. It would have been easier and, again, Nato supported.
If going after Saddam was such a good idea in 2002, it was an even better one when GHW Bush had ninety percent approval ratings and we were already at the border of Iraq, with UN backing. Think of all the Iraqis who were shredded while be patrolled a no fly zone.
I don’t need a lesson thanks.
Al Qaeda bugged out of Afghanistan and is in Iraq now so yes ‘fight them there’.
And by the way, Saddam sure as hell did 9-11 and many other attacks on us.