My humble suggestion in answer to Beth’s query: (“Why are we going to war with Iraq at all? Why not just move in with a surgical strike and kill Saddam Hussein, and then see if the country falls peacefully?”)
Because there would be a blood bath between the different ethnic groups, for a start. There's a lot of revenge coming to a lot of people. A temporary military occupation is necessary to prevent this and to help create (attempt to create?) a more responsible alternative style of government. Remember the WMD Iraq still has? Does the US want it falling into the hands of another bunch of thugs or does the US want it destroyed?