Wednesday 3rd October 2007 'I could have...

... saved you 80,000 lives and $US499 billion. That is the headline of the Melbourne MX newspaper of 27 Th September 2007. The article reads as follows and I quote in full:
Saddam's Secret offer
It has cost 80,000 lives and more than $500 billion, but the Iraq war could have been averted for just over $1 billion.
That's the claim today after details emerged of an extraordinary offer by Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein to go into exile.
It has been claimed that Saddam offered to go a month before the invasion if he could take the $1 billion with him, saving about $499 billion, not to mention the many thousands of lives.
The transcript of talks between US President George W Bush and the then Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar at Bush's Texas ranch has raised new questions about the need for the disastrous four year war.
It comes as the Bush administration asked the Congress for another $217.8 billion for conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
According to the tapes, Bush believed Saddam was serious.
"He's indicated he would be prepared to go into exile if he's allowed to $US i billion and all the information he wants about weapons of mass destruction."
Asked if Saddam, who was executed last December, could really leave, Bush replied, "Yes, that possibility exists."
The transcript, published in Spain's El Pais newspaper was recorded by a diplomat.
The White House has refused to comment.
Days before the invasion on March 22, 2003, the UAE proposed to Arab leaders that Saddam go into exile, but the plan was drowned out by the drums of war.
Australia has about 900 troops in Iraq, while the US currently has 165,000.
End of article.
Any one who knows me, knows exactly what my position is on the Iraq war. Those of you who don't are about to. This is the second time the US has got stuck into Iraq. The first time was when Iraq invaded Kuwait. Mr Hussein was their president at that time. George "dubya" senior was the first Bush to have a bash. He got cold feet because of the carnage that would result, even though one of his own generals had a plan to go in and take out Saddam. The second George "dubya" had no such qualms. He was quite happy to go blow them of the face of the earth. Or cost his country billions in the process. Why? Because the US has this bee in its bonnet over terrorists. Maybe. That's the stated reason. Even before the war has got under way, GW was informed that Iraq didn't have any weapons of mass destruction. But did he listen? No. Neither did our own PM. The "Coalition of the Willing". That's what it was called. Willing to go invade a sovereign nation without invitation.
Now let's be reasonable here. Mr Hussein wasn't exactly the sort of fellow you would invite to dinner. He was a rather nasty gentleman at best. However, in their efforts to to get ride of him, the US and others have turned the country into a ghetto that would barely be recognised as a "third world" country. What ever that might be. Personally I think maybe the US and some other countries would better fit the tag of a "third world" country. Having said all that. I agree, Mr Saddam Hussein had to go. That was all. Mr Hussein and a few of his not so nice helpers. Not the whole country. Not the people in the street who were just going about their daily lives. Just Mr Hussein. One bullet was all it would take.
Is this the first time the US has done this? No. Iran was the first way back in 1953. Then Vietnam, and the list goes on. Now Mr Hitler had delusions of grandeur and wanted to take over the world. Now who wants that title? I will let you, the reader, decide who I think may be the person.
I believe that we do not have the right to invade a sovereign nation without invitation of her people. The US was and is wrong to have invaded Iraq. So was Australia, the UK and others involved. I believe we need to repent of the evil deed. I would further suggest that this current drought that Australia is facing is due to God trying to get our attention as a nation, to repent of our collective evil and change our ways.
You, the reader, are entitled to disagree with me. That is your right. But before you write me off as another crack pot, think about it. Think how you would feel if some one came in off the street and raped, pillaged and blundered your house and family. Iraq is now a mess. It has descended into civil war, despite what others would claim. Think about it.
Enough.