Who were the real Saddam supporters?

The only thing which pisses me off more than hearing Republicans claim that they are only ones who care about the Iraqi people's freedom, is their contention that all Democrats/Liberals are Saddam supporters.

My response to them is: where was all the Republican love for the Iraqi people and revulsion of the pro-Saddam policy when the following happened:

1. Despite intelligence reports that Iraq still sponsored groups on the State Department's terrorist list, the Reagan administration removed Iraq from the State terrorism sponsorship list in 1982.

2. The Reagan administration did nothing when Saddam used mustard gas in 1983 against Iran.

3. Despite continued use of chemical weapons, the U.S. and Iraq restored diplomatic relations in Nov., 1984 (in fact, envoy, Donald Rumsfeld made visits to Saddam from 1983-1984 offering U.S. military and economic assistance).

4. In 1984, the CIA began to give Iraq intelligence that it used to calibrate its mustard gas attacks on Iranian troops.

5. During the Regan administration, America sold anthrax and bubonic plague to Saddam's Iraq. In addition, helicopters which were probably used for chemical attacks against the Kurds were sold to Baghdad.

6. In 1988, the Reagan administration helped kill Sen. Pell's Prevention of Genocide Act which would have ended all U.S. aid to Baghdad.

7. During the George H.W. Bush administration, a State Dept. memo stated that Iraq was continuing to develop chemical and biological weapons and that James Baker was to express an interest in expanding U.S.-Iraqi ties.

8. The George H.W. Bush administration did nothing when Saddam savaged the Iraqi Kurds after the first Gulf War.

In essence, Saddam didn't become an enemy of the American government until he attacked our "gas station" in Kuwait. Where was the love for the Iraqi people? Who were the real Saddam supporters?

Your comments and additions to this list are most appreciated.

... while all inconvenient facts are written out of the discussion, and thus out of history, and thus out of reality.

:grr:

Our foreign policy with Iraq/Saddam Hussein bears it out.