So what you're claiming is that you would cope better if someone immensely powerful killed 20 of your family and freinds off over the course of two years, than if they killed 15 all off at once?

I don't think you would. So why should Iraq? And there was *no* link between Al-Queida (who carried out 9/11/01) and Iraq until long after Bush invaded.

To carry the analogy further, it's like someone killing off 20 of your freinds and family over a few years, because you happen to look a bit like one of the people they killed off beforehand, who ran out of friends after they blew up and shot them all.
But hey, it wasn't all on one day, so deal with it!