I certainly did not intend to bring God into the discussion, but when discussing matters of right and wrong it is easier to refer to that paradigm. Pmbuko got my drift by acknowledging that the humanitarian benefit/cost of the war is yet to be seen. Keep in mind, however, that Saddam - terrible as he was - would have been succeeded by another despot.

"As to his methods being just, no they aren't for what we expect. Does that make it our job to police the world and take out all leaders that we don't consider to be just? Why should our version of right be considered the right for the whole world?"

I've never met a Saddam apologist before. Although the link pmbuko supplied earlier came close, stating that Kuwait brought it on themselves. Talk about battered-wife syndrome!

Regardless, Saddam was not viewed as a "true believer" by other Muslims and his hold on power was not affirmed by the graces of Allah. He ruled by fear; the fear that if you opposed him your family would be murdered (hey, you're right, those aren't tactics we would expect from our gov't. To each his own I guess). The poor guys that rushed our tanks with AKs probably had the same fate awaiting them if they had refused. They weren't fighting for Allah, IMO.

"I'm just trying to look at things from outside of the US perspective and try to see it as some other countries do."

I'm not. As an American, I am interested in the health and welfare of my own. No doubt the rest of the world feels the same way, despite their rhetoric to the contrary. Like it or not, there is no int'l system of gov't which unites us all as one people. I look in the eyes of my little boy and know that I could give a rat's ass what the French think.

If it is not our job to police the world then we may as well scrap the UN. Fine by me. But, as we saw on 9/11, the issues in the Middle East - which the gov't is now attempting to address - have direct impact on the lives of Americans in their home country. Not policing the world, but looking out for our own interests.