Comment on The Belmont Club,"Iraq: Victory or defeat?"

The opponents of the Iraq War have never voiced a meaningful alternative strategy. If we had not deposed Saddam then what would have happened? The sanctions regime was finished. Oil for Food had bought the governments of France, Russia, China, Canada and by extension more (such as Turkey who were pressured by the French.) To have left Saddam in place would not only have condemned millions to oppression and savagery but would have made the problems of nuclear, and other WMD, proliferation much worse and would have made the problem of terrorism in and around Israel much worse than it is now. In addition we can only speculate on how our forces in Afghanistan would be threatened if both Iraq and Iran were fueling competing insurgencies. All of the current problems, including those in Pakistan, would still exist and would be even worse. Rick's is playing for influence as he goes, his politics prejudice his analysis, Even if he was correct on a point it is dangerous to rely on his arguments.