The Iraq war was not popular. I remember seeing many anti-war protests. That said, Saddam Hussein was a ruthless dictator who deserved to be deposed. It's just that the whole invasion was started for political reasons with the claims of Saddam having WMD's dubious at best. It was a simple resource grab. Worse, the US had no post-war plan for Iraq and Iraqians. It was get in, take care of Saddam, and oil be happy.
The Iraqi army was disbanded, and many of its soldiers left unemployed, destitute, and embittered. It's no wonder they became insurgients, and eventually, terrorists. Ukraine, however, is a democratic country., and Zelenskyy was elected in a fair and free election. Russia and Putin is the opposite. This is democracy coming under attack by authoritarianism, a war between good and evil.
US atrocities were unquestionably disgraceful and condemnable and I will not defend them, but Putin's committing deliberate war crimes with not even a hint of a believable apology or justification. All they have offered is infurtiatingly blatant bullshit. US misdeeds aren't comparable to Russia's abject and indefensible terror bombing. Make no mistake, Putin's goal is not the toppling of a regime and taking of the resources. No, it's more than that. Worse than that. It's conquest. He has himself said that Ukraine has no right to exist,a nd that Ukraine needs to be demilitarized and "denazified". Zelenskyy is Jewish! If Ukraine was Nazi, they would NOT have a Jew as a president!
USA did not invade Iraq to annex it into Texas or Iowa or whatever. Oh yes, USA invading Iraq was bad, but Russia invading Ukraine is evil.
Thank you for more eloquently explaining the point I was trying to make back in post #27. I'm half drunk and just trying to keep up.
Obviously, the first Iraq War was justifiable in some ways, the second Iraq War might be dubious in hindsight, but there were definitely Iraqi civilians that were happy for us to be there.
This situation in Ukraine isn't even close to being the same thing. ANYONE who has a brain and isn't believing blatant propaganda understands this.