The costs of th Iraq war are about 1600 Billion US Dollars.

This is 20900 USD per US household.

Imagine, if before the war there had been a referendum in the USA.

"Do you want to start a war against Iraq for only 20900 USD per household?

(a) yes
(b) no "

How many would have chosen option (b) ?

...apart from this war being completely useless anyhow (it only produced more potential terrorists).

a war to keep americas SUV's going

pure and simple
_________________
It's always times like these,
When I think of you And I wonder,
If you ever think of me?

They won't get any of the oil...for the amount they have spend on the war they could have bought lots and lots of oil.

Although the world is not a safer place now as far as terrorism is concerned, the world is a safer place now as the USA can not afford any new random wars

even though they may not be able to afford any new wars, they still seem to be poking their chest out towards iran, korea and syria
_________________
It's always times like these,
When I think of you And I wonder,
If you ever think of me?

Iraq had 12 years of chances to comply with the United Nations 1991 Gulf War ceasefire regulations but chose to disobey them. Those regulations were to allow complete unfettered access to UN weapons inspectors. To stop targeting the Kurds in the north and the Shias in the south of Iraq.

But not only did Iraq refuse to allow complete access for the UN weapons inspectors often intidating and threatening them but it fired at planes patroling the northern and southern no fly zones.

Iraq was also strongly suspect of supportting and aiding Al Qaeda and there is ample evidence to back up this claim such as the meeting in Prague between Iraqi secret service personnel and one of the 9/11 hijackers. Plus countless other meetings and correspondence between Iraqi secret services and Al Qaeda chiefs. Iraq was also well known to support Palestinian terrorists at one time even have an office for the PLO in Bagdad.

The war was not Americas' fault at all. America and its allies had to act to bring in line a rogue state which was a danger to global security and peace. Not only that but the Iraqi people suffered terribly under Saddam's tyranny, hundreds of thousands were killed and tortured by that regime. The Kurds bearing the worst brunt of the regimes terror with the gassing of 5,000 Kurds at Halabja in 1988.

double post.

"The Kurds bearing the worst brunt of the regimes terror with the gassing of 5,000 Kurds at Halabja in 1988".

And who sold them the mustard gas to do it with?
And who turned a blind eye and ignored these murders?
And who was Britains pal at the time?
Why didn't anybody do anything about it at the time?

But Iraqs' human rights record under Saddam Hussein was a thousand times worse than that of America. America is at least a free democracy. But there was no freedom and democracy at all in Iraq under Saddam. Remember that Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990 and fought an eight year war with Iran from 1980 to 1988 in which it used chemical weapons which cost a million lives. Saddam also massarced hundreds of thousands of his own people such as the Kurds and Shias.

Did anybody even notice whose tanks crossed the Kuweite border first?

It's not alright to treat your own citizens the way that iraq had but the moment you step over into your neighbors yard is the moment that people, or countries, in the world are going to notice you and do something about it.

I am not going into the USA and its own violations argument as this is another matter all together. Guantanamo Bay should be leveled if you ask me.