Reasons for the war against Iraq: � Saddam is a blood-thirsty tyrant. � Saddam has defied the United Nations on numerous occasions. � Saddam has backed terrorists in the past. � Removing Saddam will reinforce respect for American power and spark democratic reform in the Middle East. � The president wants to avenge his father and please his base. � Donald Rumsfeld wants to exorcise the post-Vietnam focus on American imperfections and limitations. � Dick Cheney wants to establish America's primacy as the sole superpower. � Richard Perle wants to liberate Iraq and remove a mortal threat to Israel. � After Desert Storm, Paul Wolfowitz posited that containment is a relic, and that America must aggressively preempt nuclear threats.