From what I understand the CIA did support the Baath party and Saddam.
Here is an article from a nice conservative website that gives a nice overview of our history with him. It leaves out a few key facts that I have read in other accounts but seems to present a clear picture of US support for Sadaam until Gulf war 1.
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2003/4/10/205859.shtmlHere is some stuff from PBS as well that show a link between CIA and Saddam
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/longroad/etc/cron.htmlIts hard to follow your thread, but if you are looking for specifics about providing weapons, that is not in the links, just description of the US providing intelligence and support for Saddam.
Another interesting note is how Cheney as CEO of Haliburton tried to get Clinton to reduce restrictions on American companies doing business with Terrorist countries such as Iran, Iraq.
Two years later, Cheney traveled to another country to demand America weaken restrictions on doing business with Iran?s petroleum industry, despite Clinton administration warnings that Iranian oil revenues could be used to fund terrorism. ?We're kept out of [Iran] primarily by our own government, which has made a decision that U.S. firms should not be allowed to invest significantly in Iran,? he told an oil conference in Canada. ?I think that's a mistake.?
Full article here
http://www.prospect.org/web/page.ww?section=root&name=ViewWeb&articleId=8498I only bring this particular note up because people often change their positions based on their particular interests at the time, which I belive explains our roller coaster relationship with Saddam.
