Iraq? a better place now? just what comic book are you reading?
There are more Iraqi citizens dying now from within than any time in their history, and Saddam was a duly elected president.
The country looks more like we have spread the seeds of discontent rather than democracy.
If you go back a few years you will find we here in the United States, helped Saddam seize power, and for many years he was considered a friend, much like our involvement with Cuba and Iran, until he decided to live his own life and quit taking orders from us.
Iraq posed no military threat to the United States, so there was no need to invade and destroy their infrastructure and put him on trial, and they played no part in 9/11.