If you look at the picture before/during and after the war the picture is quite dismal. Saddam and his cronies killed Iraqis in their thousands based on whether you were a shia a sunni or a kurd, member or not of the Baath party and whether his sons had a dislike for you. Thousands of bodies have been found in mass graves. During the war approx 100,000 were killed by indiscriminate arial bombardment (case in point is the huge crater where Saddam was supposed to be dining in downtown Baghdad, 100 diners were killed, now who is to blame for that??). Also hundreds were killed on a daily basis by the insurgents. After the elections the reports of Bombs seems to have dwindled by the toll is still rising. The Iraqi nation has suffered terribly over the past 50 years. Its time for some respite there. hopefully their oil wells will dry up and peace will return.