Interesting article. The question, in essence, still remains...why can't we just eliminate Saddam Hussein, and add two more bullets...one for Uday and one for Qusay?

Or one for Saddam and one for Qusay. Uday seems quite capable of self-destructing without our help.

I like the way you think, Trinity. Straightforward and pragmatic, and no handwringing over the fate of the Hussein boys.

But, like I said, they are only part of the problem. The larger point is that there are more thugs waiting in the wings. Knock off Qusay and Uday, and they'll have cronies and lackeys who'd be more than happy to step up to the plate--and probably settle a few old scores in the process.

I think that after a decade of messing with the Iraqi people's lives, it's about time we just do the right thing and go in there and clean up the mess. We arguably helped create in the first place--and by "we" I mean "the West," and not just America.

The Western powers created Iraq after World War I. Not many people realize that. When my great-grandmother was born, there was no such thing as "Iraq" or "an Iraqi." The Western powers installed an ersatz "Monarchy" which, after a generation or two, was overthrown by thugs, and by 1980 or so the biggest thug of 'em all, Saddam, wound up in power. Meanwhile, the Western powers played footsie with him and other Arab "leaders" (thugs) for decades during the Cold War. Then the Gulf War, and ten years of "sanctions" that have hurt no one but the average Iraqi on the street, while the monster at the top of the heap still eats well, takes his morning swim, and plots his revenge and his legacy.

I honestly believe we owe the Iraqi people better than to just kill one thug so they can have another. Not just for our sake, but theirs. The entire governing apparatus has to be torn asunder and reworked from the ground up. Yes, yes," enforcing our values on others," I know, I know, but it's what's got to be done. Hell, we started it when we created Iraq in the first place.

I'll say this though: I do believe the fighting will be over pretty quickly once it begins. I may be wrong, but I just don't see a lot of Iraqis throwing themselves under the tank treads just to save the "Hussein dynasty." Call me a crazy optimist on that one. %-)

So, what'll probably happen is that the Europeans, under the auspices of the United Nations, will help mop up and restore something like a sane and balanced government over there.

Some people snort and wonder if the Iraqis are capable of democracy. But the people of Iraq are actually fairly well-educated and even cosmopolitan. Iraq might wind up broken up into multiple nations--I suspect the Kurds will wind up with their own nation--but there's no reason to think a real democracy is impossible. It'll be a lot of work, but it's the sort of thing that I believe people like the Germans and the French would be very good for.