Saddam WAS a tyrant there is no disputing that fact. BUT he ran the country with an iron fist. And he became a neccasary evil. If you stood in his way he crushed you.
There was no doubt America could dispose of him at any time or any place. He knew that.
Look at the region now today in August 2008. What do you see? Mass chaos, mass ruins,a faltering economic system that has been broken since Saddam was removed from power, a government that can't stand on it's own, America pumping billions into a cardhouse government to try and get it established but still can't.
The Iraqi population and factions don't know who to follow,who to trust, who to look to to lead them, they are all confused and don't know which way to turn.
Saddam although a tryant forced them to follow his lead, and they understood that. He lead them with 90% less problems then now. Why is that? American politicians want to have a say so in how their gov't is run and how it conducts business. And Iraq simply can't comprehend freedom to the extent we know and the democracy we are now trying to force upon them. Think about it?
Is that the answer? The region does not want, accept nor understand democracy. Democracy is an American invention forcefed to them. Saddam kept the place mostly at peace and the place running like a well oiled machine. That is what the people, warlords and foreign troops understood. You followed his lead or you were at odds with Saddam and you risked death.
Now they have America telling them they are free and can vote and can do what they wish and they simply do nothing, they don't know what to do. Almost like a convict being institutionalized for decades, he grew up being directed, his whole life has been structured and then he gets out has all these newfound freedoms and says now what do I do?
He was told when to eat,sleep, and etc. with very little freedom. And then he is "given" freedom and doesn't know what the hell to do with it. It confuses him. Things he was punished for doing for years, he can now do freely and he just doesn't understand. Like an animal caged since it's birth. That is his habitat, his realm WITHIN those bars, not outside them. So in many cases he commits another crime to go back to what he left, what he knows as he knows no different life.
They cannot and will not accept democracy or it's ideals longterm. American troops will be there for decades to come propping up their puppet leaders and politicians and if we don't place another Saddam in power another one will assume the role.
He will fill the void that Saddam left and take over and we will be dealing with this same exact scenario 20-30 years from now again!