Madam, - Joe Wood (September 8th) is the latest proponent of the standard, flawed, anti-war analysis of the Iraq war. Liberating Iraq wasn't "a new reason suddenly put forward" when no WMD stockpiles were located. President Bush spoke of disarming Iraq and liberating its people in his speech to the American people on the day the invasion began and many times before and since.
Indeed, removing Saddam was a goal of US policy since 1991. Why can't people see the reality of what has happened in Iraq and Afghanistan? Two oppressive regimes have been toppled - the former harbouring al-Qaeda, the latter with a history of aggression, pursuing WMD and supporting terrorism, and both with appalling records on human rights (which, it seems, matter only in post-war, rather than pre-war, Iraq). Slowly but surely two democracies are emerging in their place.
Let us remember that the consensus among intelligence organisations was that Saddam likely had or was close to WMD capability. No number of Fahrenheit 9/11 conspiracies changes any of these facts. - Yours, etc.,
K.M. CUDDIHY,
Carrigcourt,
Carrigaline,
Co Cork.