The Kay Report

Reading this piece by Justin Katz, it occurred to me once again, that this narrow focus on WMD ignores many other reasons for removing Saddam, including humanitarian and strategic reasons.

Saddam had shown himself to be unpredictable and dangerous by declaring war on Iran and invading Kuwait. He had used WMD on Iranian troops and on Kurdiish Iraqis. He had murdered tens of thousands of his own civilians and caused the death of more than a million. He was funding terrorists attacking Israelis and paying the families of Palestinian "martyrs" a bounty for their sons and daughters.

In addition, Iraq occupies a strategic position in the heart of the Middle East. As we continue to prosecute the war against terrorists, regime change in Iraq eliminates an important source of funding, training and shelter for such groups, and provides a clear example to neighboring dictatorships of what they may face themselves if they continue such practices. That, together with the fact that none of Saddam's neighbors were likely to come to his aid, made it a good move. As far as WMD is concerned, the truth is that we went to war not because of what we knew for certain, but because otherwise we couldn't be sure that this nutcase wouldn't repeat his past behavior. Bush made that clear from the outset, but you won't hear that from the mainstream media. Saddam was the best candidate for making the point that America was done with half-measures in responding to terrorism and those who collaborate with it. For that reason alone, the war made sense.