This question has been asked by many Americans in the last year. And while each individual American must answer this question for themselves, to many, the writing is clearly on the wall. We seek to liberate Iraq from Saddam Hussein and his regime because after September 11th, 2001 we were put on notice that the civilized can no longer live in a bubble and hope for the best. Saddam Hussein's continued threats to the international community, his links to international terrorism, and his blatant contempt for human rights cannot be ignored any longer. .
Containment policy has failed to deter Saddam's ambitions for regional dominance and his quest for weapons of mass destruction (WMD). During his dictatorship, he has invaded Kuwait and Iran, set off oil fires that created an environmental disaster in the Persian Gulf, used chemical weapons against his own people, attempted to assassinate former President George Bush, and paid huge cash rewards to families of Palestinian suicide bombers. This is a man that has violated the most basic norms of humanity and international law. Hussein's regime was a ticking time bomb that needed to be diffused immediately. .
There is strong circumstantial evidence linking Hussein to Al Qaeda. Although the two have ideological and theological differences, they are united in their goals of destroying the United States. According to Secretary of State Colin Powell, Iraq harbored Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi, a senior Al Qaeda terrorist and poison expert, for several months and provided him with medical care. Yet further conclusive proof of his link to terrorism is the vast amounts of money he uses to support such terrorist groups as Hamas, as well as paying generously the families of Palestinian suicide bombers as I mentioned before. .
Saddam Hussein's Iraq was a nightmarish state. Outside the top leadership of the Baath party, few in Iraq have escaped Saddam's horrific brutality.
