Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump praised deposed Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein at a political rally in Raleigh, North Carolina on July 5th:
"He was a bad guy -- really bad guy. But you know what? He did well? He killed terrorists. He did that so good. They didn't read them the rights. They didn't talk. They were terrorists. Over. Today, Iraq is Harvard for terrorism. You want to be a terrorist, you go to Iraq. It's like Harvard. Okay? So sad."
And here's the video if you want to watch it for yourself:
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Here's how House Speaker Paul Ryan reacted to Trump's statement: "He was one of the 20th century's most evil people. He was up there. He committed mass genocide against his own people using chemical weapons. Saddam Hussein was a bad guy."
Clinton senior campaign adviser Jake Sullivan said, "Trump's praise for brutal strongmen seemingly knows no bounds."
In the buildup to the War in Iraq, President George W. Bush condemned Saddam for his "support for international terrorism." You can read the White House policy statement here.
Obviously, many of our readers fought and served in the invasion of Iraq. Is Donald Trump right? Was Saddam Hussein a stabilizing influence in the Middle East and good for America? American leadership forcefully condemned his brutality and inhumanity towards his people after 9/11? Were they wrong to do so? Do you agree with Mr. Trump's take on the fight against terrorism? Sound off!
