Reply #103: None of this contradicts what I claimed

[vincent_vega_lives]

Cluster muntions were used during the Invasion, as it was considered a conventional engagement, but not in urban areas directly. Yes cluster munitions are a major problem for civilians, but the overiding concern is for the troops safety during direct engagements. That's why the Geneva convention explicitly forbids fighting out of uniform, using civilians as sheilds and using hospitals to fight from...it endangers civilians. This war sucks for everyone involved, and should have been avoided in this case, but your claims are ill directed.

Administration does not create the Rules of Engagement, the military commander on the ground does, though they can make it MORE restrictive, not less.

The war is not a direct result of the sectarian Violence if you want to get technical, it was the removal of Saddam's regime that ignited the Sectarian violence. Even without a militarty invasion you would have had the Shia looking for revenge and a Sunni led struggle to stay in power if the Baathist regime collapsed.