What kind of idiot says "Don't destroy your oil wells" before saying "Don't use weapons of mass destruction"?!

How is that supposed to convince people that the government is justified in overriding the objections of THE REST OF THE WORLD and claiming all peaceful and diplomatic efforts to resolve this conflict are exhausted?

Yes, Saddam Hussein and his sons are atrocious men who have done abominable things. He's a heinous dictator who has been known to kill his own people. But honestly, there are worse dictators in the world (believe it or not) and bigger threats to this country. (North Korea, for example, fits both criteria.) While Saddam should be removed from power, the impetus for this should come from his own people first of all, and second, if he is to be removed through outside pressure, what's the problem with it just remaining pressure and not force?

Personally, I wonder why the government feels the need to focus on a threat of yesterday when there are so many threats of today that they'd be far more justified in pursuing. And I'm sorry, but no matter how much warning you give and no matter how "smart" your weapons are, you can't save lives through military attacks. And no matter how often you tell people you're killing them for their own good, they're never going to believe you.