Well, Saddam was backed and supported by the USA in the war against Iran.
Is that where he got all his T-72 tanks, MIG fighters and AK-47's?
The OTHER super power supported him to a far greater degree. The invasion took everyone by surprise. Hardly a supervised American planned action by any means.
This was also when he gassed the Kurds, no one raised a fuss then about that.
Really? I remember a big fuss was made. But then why does the USA have to make a all the fuss all the time? What about our Euro-friends or our Canuck gov't? Where were they?
At the end of the Gulf War, Iraqi's were encouraged to revolt by the Bush Sr. admin with promised American aid, but when they did they recieved no help from Bush Sr. Saddam moved south, crushed that revolt, then moved North and eliminated the northern one...
You can probably read Swartzkoff's (sp?) somewhewre or Collin Powell's that they felt the biggest mistake the USA made was agreeing to allow the Iraqi's to fly their helicopters in the ceasefire agreement. Had they not the insurection would have likely succeeded in the South and North. No doubt the US left them hanging. But it was Hussein that killed them. Lined them up and shot them in the back of the head 24/7 for months afterwards.