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Editor:
Your Sept. 3 editorial calls for the ousting of Iraq's head bully, Saddam Hussein. I think this would be a big mistake. Sure, he is a bully, thug, murderer and all-around despicable piece of human excrement. But he does have a purpose. While his military forces are mere playthings for our own military, these forces are quite formidable against Iran (as illustrated for eight years).
Iraq limits its bullying to its neighbors and should be punished for those acts. But if you remove Hussein, who will replace him? Hussein, like most dictators, quickly eliminates competent, intelligent leaders for fear that they will overthrow him. Eliminating Hussein would leave a vacuum that could easily be filled by Iran. Why? Because the majority of Iraqis are from the same radical, extremist faction of Islam that Iran is from. The ruling party in Iraq is from the more moderate, tolerant party (the same as Saudi Arabia), and they have kept the radicals in check.
Without this stabilizing force, Iraq could quickly become another Iran or, even worse, a part of Iran. We all know that Iran is not content with bullying and intimidating its neighbors; they prefer to spread their carnage throughout the world both directly and indirectly. So you may want to think twice about your editorial. Even a bully has a useful purpose.
Thomas J. Collins
staff of Parking and Transportation Services
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