Saddam was not a “good guy”. I think a few of you need to check your historical facts before you get all weepy about the previous regime in Iraq.
The fact of the matter is that most of the previous rulers in the middle east were largely despots who kept things in line by fear, intimidation, and murder. Now that the ‘Arab Spring’ has come and gone (and perpetuated itself in areas like Syria and most recently Iraq), we are seeing the results of NOT dealing with those particular sects with an iron fist.
Consider the source of the problem; don’t praise the former band-aid.
hey even Hitler and Stalin had their good features, I mean they kept stability and order, right?
Tolerating genocide by a psycho dictator has advantages if your permanent national security interest is geopolitical stability
Insofar as America’s national security was concerned Saddam’s regime was far better than what’s there now. Yes, he kept things in line by fear, intimidation and murder. Like it or not, that’s how those people are ruled. Are you going to try to make the case Maliki’s government is any better? Have you studied the plight of religious minorities in Iraq in recent years? Christians were far better off when the Ba’ath party was in power.
bump
How about less-bad guy.
Less bad than anything we had power to supplant him with.