The Iraq War is Immoral

The war in Iraq is immoral, and I say this as someone who supported it in the beginning (albeit reluctantly). At first, I believed removing Saddam Hussein from power was warranted. After all, I wouldn't want to live under a dictatorship. I know people who have lived under a dictatorship, and based on what they have told me, I haven't missed a thing. Torture and mysterious disappearances of family members, I can live without. Therefore, how could I in good conscience make the argument that the Iraqi people should continue to live under a dictator if the possibility of living in a democracy some time in the future presented itself?

Furthermore, I supported in principle the notion of outside forces invading a country in order to remove a brutal dictator, especially one committing genocide. I supported the removal of Milosevic and NATO's invasion of Kosovo, and I had a hard time making a clear distinction between Milosevic and Hussein. Why is it acceptable to remove one, and not the other? I couldn't find a satisfactory answer to that.

As far as the prospect of Hussein hiding WMDs in some forsaken location in the Iraq desert, I was skeptical, but willing to give the notion the benefit of the doubt. Nevertheless, I wasn't surprised when it turned out there were no WMDs after all. Oopsie! What did surprise me, however, that despite this obvious fabrication, the war continued to garner considerable support. I mean, I expected that someone in a position of power would stand up and say, "this war is based on a lie. Time to pack up, call it a day, and go home," and people would listen. Looking back, this was awfully naive of me. Yes, there were a few war opponents from the start, such as John Edwards and Senator Russ Feingold, who, predictably, were alternatively ignored, pilloried, and held up for ridicule.