Hussein Isn’t a Proper Justification for the War

I was pleased to see Stephen Moore’s Oct. 20 commentary on Iraqis’ views of Iraq, though I was troubled by some of his conclusions. I served in Iraq for 12 months and worked side by side with a dozen Iraqis -- Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds alike -- six days a week for seven months. Moore is absolutely correct when he asserts that, on average, Iraqis are hopeful about the future. That is not the same, however, as saying they are pleased with the present.

Moore overstates the importance of Prime Minister Iyad Allawi’s approval ratings. Iraqis will approve of anyone so long as he isn’t Saddam Hussein and isn’t obviously an American puppet. Restating for the umpteenth time that Hussein was a terrible dictator is still simply post hoc rationalization for the war. The fact that Iraqis are happy he is gone has nothing to do with the decision-making pathologies that led America into the war.

Yes, Iraqis are hopeful. More than anything, what they hope for is an America that finally keeps its word, regardless of the president’s party label.

Russell Burgos

Thousand Oaks

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Let’s all stipulate that Hussein is a monster, and that his people are glad to be rid of him. Let’s also stipulate that the same would be true of Kim Jong Il, the rulers of Iran, the military junta in Myanmar and the perpetrators of genocide in Darfur. So, why hasn’t the U.S. sent troops into those places? The answer is simple: America (like most countries) does not risk lives and treasure unless it is directly threatened.

Justifying the invasion of Iraq by saying “the world is better off without Saddam Hussein” is an evasion, an after-the-fact rationalization, now that the allegation of Hussein’s ties to Al Qaeda and weapons of mass destruction has been thoroughly discredited. The American Congress and people would never have backed the invasion solely to get rid of Hussein, and everybody knows that.

David Datz

Altadena

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Judging by the rosy statistics provided by GOP partisan hack Moore, no wonder Dick Cheney et al believed GIs would be greeted with rose petals.

Alex Villanueva

La Habra Heights