What the Bush Administration or the media have failed to realize was that Saddam was surrounded by extreme fundamentalists (especially the Shi'ites as well as certain factions of the Kurds) who would do *anything* to seize control of Iraq and establish their Islamic ideology
. Under such extraordinary conditions, Saddam's resorting to the measures he took--considered barbaric by the rest of the world--were quite justified. The West's lack of empathy (or more likely the propaganda that shaped their views) resulted in the failure to consider what *they* would need to do to protect and defend themselves if *they* were in the midst of such conditions, surrounded by madmen!
(Saddam's flaw was his desire for power and riches. But this doesn't make him a war criminal. His sons I believe were ruthless for no purpose, based on what Iraqi Olympic trainees reported, as well as other sources have claimed.)
It should further be noted that although Saddam was a dictator, his nation was secular: individuals free to worship their own religion as well as women being afforded the same opportunities as men.
The idea of establishing a democracy in Iraq is absurd, considering that the majority of Iraqis are Shi'ites, who will likely get in power, resulting in the establishment of their extreme fundamentalism. Moereover, the dissolution of Saddam's regime (which was in effect a powerful barrier from the potential crusade of Shi'ite Islam) will now give a green light to their fanatical movement!
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