Just because, I'll try. Saddam Hussein was a pariah and was no longer a convenient leader to have around in such a volatile region. It would have been politica

Just because, I'll try. Saddam Hussein was a pariah and was no longer a convenient leader to have around in such a volatile region. It would have been political untenable to support him and potentially dangerous to leave him around. If he started to get desperate or his weakened status allowed another actor to gain significant sway with in the region then there could be wider regional issues. Now with hindsight we know the region became massively more volatile and is even more a collection of fractured and nearly failed states. Could a strategy have been developed to remove Saddam and encourage a less dangerous Iraq, seems doubtful as it really sounds like it would always be a gamble. And could it have been done while being lead by government that's in a 4 year election cycle, very doubtful, need quick action to get that sweet re-election after all. For the record I was not a supporter of the war. Nor am I from the USA :)