The thing is, Reg, that nobody wants these casualties and they are indeed tragic. But how is it any different than what Hussein himself would have done? My sympathy goes out to anyone who has lost anybody in this war, but what about sympathy for the people Hussein put through a meat grider? What about his son's cutting off womens bodyparts just because they refused to pleasure him? Why do you not have sympathy for them? Now, I am well aware that you likely do/did. I am not accusing you of lack of sympathy, but demonstrating that you are acting as if we don't care that there are civilians and soldiers dying. I assure you that I do.
But what would you have done? Let Husseing continue to rule Iraq? Did you not see the mass graves? Or assassinate Hussein, likely causing a civil war? The fact is that change for the better often requires pain and sacrifice.

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I object only to the lies used as justification for invasion and occupation of Iraq and the fabrication of a connection to September 11th. Is this administration teaching our children that the end always justifies the means? Because that is the logic of the Islamic terror groups also.

There are two points I want to make. One, is that there was no fabrication of a connection to 9-11. The connection was that there were Al-Quaeda leaders in Baghdad and other places in Iraq, even training terrorists, and from the beginning Bush said we would go after all nations that harbor terrorists. Iraq has violated sanctions for years, and I believe that the president honestly thought there were WMDs in Iraq, and I read a report in a democratic newspaper that indicated that Saddam even wanted us to belive they were there so we'd stay out in fear out of them using them.

Two. Even if the end were to justify the means, the Ends are completely different. Terrorists seek to opress, America seeks to free. Terrorists spew hate; America excecutes justice. Terrorist target civilians. We target only terrorists. And sometimes we miss, and when we do, it is allways a tragedy. All we really have control over is our intentions.