>>One could argue that the tragic deaths of thousands of American citizens and Iraqis have at its core a rather dubious purpose<<

What there is no doubt about is that free and democratic societies have the highest standards of living, highest level of human rights, fewest number of democides and the least instances of military aggression towards their neighbors.

Regardless of our personal feelings about the conflict in Iraq, the history of the 2oth century shows that a democratic society is always preferable to a totalitarian regime.

While war is violent and innocent lives are lost, war is immeasurably better and less costly in terms of lives than a brutal, totalitarian regime like Saddam Hussein's.

In the 20th century all wars combined killed an estimated 40 million people. Absolutism killed a minimum of 170 million.

Absolutism is not only many times deadlier than war, but itself is the major factor causing war and other forms of violent conflict. It is a major cause of militarism. Indeed, absolutism, not war, is mankind's deadliest scourge of all.