How Do We Respond?

[Steely_Dan]

I can't tell you how many times I've heard people on the right make the following statement (as a response to the illegal war in Iraq):

"Aren't we better off without Saddam Hussein in power?"

Other variations:

"Aren't the people of Iraq better off without Saddam Hussein in power?"
"Would you rather have Saddam back in Power."
etc.etc.etc.

The most recent example of this was when Rosie O'Donnell was speaking to Sean Hannity on The View...Hanitty's response was, "Aren't we better off without Saddam Hussein in power?"

I want to say to these people: "YOU'RE MISSING THE POINT!"

How do YOU respond?

-Paige

[fertilizeonarbusto]

1. Tell them

that getting rid of Saddam by starting an uncontrollable bloodbath is like curing your brain tumor by cutting off your head.

[trotsky]

2. The answer to "Are the Iraqis better off without Saddam" may soon...

have a very easy answer: No.

Saddam is estimated to have killed 200,000-300,000 Iraqis during his reign. * is around 100,000. Considering the violence shows no signs of letting up, eventually this war and occupation will end up costing more Iraqi lives than Saddam Hussein did.

And then we can honestly say that yes, they were better off under Saddam. And that's horrible. * is such a fuckup.

[brainshrub]

3. A roach-free home is better than a roach-infested home,

A roach-free home is better than a roach-infested home, but if the bug-man showed up with a bazooka to eliminate my roach-problem, I'd have to hire someone else.

The "cure" is worse than the problem.

[Lone_Wolf]

4. Simple... tell them to go ask the average Iraqi citizen...

who are probably the biggest victims of this war...

Living conditions in Iraq have deteriorated substantially since the war... Lack of clean water, food, electricity, depleted uranium all over their country's landscape, cholera, childhood mortality on the rise...

Ask them if they would rather have Saddam Hussein in power?

Another response you could use is:

"Wouldn't we better off without George W. Bush in power?"

[Double T]

5. How did Sadam Hussein affect your life....

or anyones life in this country? That is how I respond. Destruction is destruction, is destruction and the United States has created more destruction then Sadam was capable of.

[Vickers]

6. Since they are diverting the discussion, I do the same

Listen, there are some folks so stuffed to the gills with Kool Aid that you will NEVER reach them. So I'll say something like:

"Yes, I'm glad he's out of the way, but why did Bush grant him immunity?"

"Yes, the Iraqis are better off, but why did they give all of the oil pipeline contracts to the French?"

etc. etc.

[Deep13]

7. "Aren't we better off ...?"

Short answer: no. We were not in an endless and unwinnable war then.

Better answer: Ask in what way we are better off.

The issue is not Saddam, it is terrorism. The Iraqi power vacuum and the presence of infidel troops has invited terrorists in where none existed before.

[kentuck]

8. Is America better off?

is the question.

[Lone_Wolf]

9. Reply with, "Maybe you are better off, but I don't hold Halliburton stock"

n/t

[getmeouttahere]

10. Removing Saddam from power....

wasn't the reason we were given for going to war...neither was spreading "democracy" which is a sick joke

We were led to believe that Saddam has WMD (which he didn't) and that he was involved in 9/11 (which he wasn't).

There are many leaders who we would be better off without (Uzbekistan's current govt would be one, but those are BushCo's buddies)but most of them don't have the oil resources that Iraq has. So why Iraq & Saddam? Hmmmmm, could it be the crude?

One thing I always say to these people is "why can't we just send in the special forces to remove someone like that from power" So we don't have to kill 100,000 innocent civilians? If it's that important to us. I think this is what galls the rest of the world the most, our indescriminate killing. That and the disregard for those suffering and dying.

[Lexingtonian]

11. "We don't know yet."

Exposes their dogma and wishful thinking.

[welshTerrier2]

12. you're missing the point ... or at least "a" point ...

there are TWO ISSUES here; not one ...

the question they ask about "aren't we better off" relates to the past ... it seeks to make a case that the invasion of Iraq was justified ...

what it doesn't do is make a case that we should continue the insane occupation ... Saddam is no longer in power ... he cannot be used as a justification to remain in Iraq ... we need to leave Iraq NOW because the US will never create stability in Iraq ... the reality is that we are the most significant contributor to the instability ...

now, as to whether the "we are better off" argument justified an invasion, it did NOT ... even many of America's top generals argued that a stable Iraq was far less threatening to the US and the region than an unstable Iraq ... Iraq was being totally controlled prior to the invasion ... the country and its power were totally destroyed during the Gulf War ... look at it now !!! it has destabilized the entire Middle East and has attracted daily "terrorist" activity ... we'd have to stay there a hundred years and we still wouldn't be able to create the degree of stability that existed before we invaded ...

does this mean Saddam was a good guy ??? of course not ... what it does mean is that the neo-con invasion supported by the Senate Dems was dead wrong from the start ... we've created a catastrophe in Iraq that we cannot fix ...

[Steely_Dan]

15. Love Your...

Ted Kennedy quote...

-Paige

[Rainscents]

13. I had a good respond to GOP's talking point...

Yesterday, I also confronted with GOP talking point with a friend...
He stated the same thing, "Saddam was bad man and he killed many Iraqis" My responds to him... Well, we (USA, Bush senior, Rummy, Chenny and the company SOLD Saddam the chemicals to kill his own people and this all we doing... WE (USA Government) THE ONE ENCOURAGED Saddam to KILL"! We can't blame this shit on Saddam Solly and we must also bare the blame! I told him, don't you fucking tell me Saddam was bad guy and when we (USA-Government encourage him to be bad person).

Boy, this sure shut him up fast!!! I did finally got him to agree with me and he told me, he didn't think about what our own government was egging Saddam on and helping him in back in 80's and early 90's.

[nevergiveup]

14. I tell them it is "hog wash"

I also usually laugh at them, roll my eyes, and shake my head in disbelief....I have totally had it with anyone defending this war and I don't care who it is.