CBS News is reporting (though I can’t find a link yet) about a survey that found that 95% of Iraqi respondents believe security in their country is worse now than it was under Saddam Hussein.
Gee. You think?
Obviously the country was far more stable under Saddam’s tyrannical rule. I don’t see how this is even a question worth asking.
What we need to know is how they feel about their lives now.
I think Iraqis probably fear for their lives just as much now as they did under Saddam. Then, the fear of pissing off a known enemy kept them in line. Now, the fear of the unknown, of random, meaningless violence, keeps the people not so much in line, but instead prisoners of terror.
A better, more direct question would be, “Was it worth it?” Because it’s the mood of the general populace that will determine the final outcome in Iraq.