Anti-war did not mean pro-Saddam

It is disconcerting to see John Howard and Alexander Downer seeking to cover up their own failures in going to war with Iraq by attacking the opponents of the war as supporters of Saddam Hussein. But this was something to be expected, given the Howard Government's record in massaging and manipulating facts to suit its political agenda. No one that I know in the anti-war camp in Australia ever gave the slightest indication of support for Saddam or wished the Iraqi dictator to remain in power. It was clear from the start to all informed opponents of the war that Saddam led one of the most brutal and murderous regimes on the planet. Many of us had repeatedly argued for the removal of the regime well before Howard and Downer decided - just before the start of the war - to break off diplomatic relations and discontinue lucrative commercial deals with that regime.