I firmly believe that those in power knew Saddam was not that great a threat. How many CIA analysts and others have come forward to indicate Cheney cherry picked what he wanted to see. Cheney and others went to great effort to come up with reasons to invade Iraq. Why?

>>> Saddam Hussein was, in my opinion, a threat to the US
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>>I see no support for holding that opinion.
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>Well, of course not. We caught him. Sorta makes him a non-threat, now.
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>Seriously, we have learned much more about Iraq's capabilities than we knew before the war, so it is easy - in hindsight - to dismiss him as not having been a threat. But the pre-war evidence pointed otherwise. Whether you or I choose to believe it is immaterial. The CinC saw him as a threat, presented the case to Congress, and got the green light.
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>>> and his neighbors.
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>>I agree with this part, but doesn't seem odd that the US would expend so many lives and dollars to protect undemocratic theocracies?
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>Yes, and if it were up to me, the house of Saud would be...less influential, shall we say.