Turkey refused it to prevent exactly this, Iraq under Saddam was much less of a threat to Turkey than it getting under Iranian influence, the parliament voted correctly on this one, well except the only party that is ruling us today, tells volumes about the strategic foresight of AKP...The crazy thing is it was Turkey who refused the USA to invade Iraq from the north.
I get the impression that being kind to nations in the middle east is the wrong way to behave. Being kind invites trouble, its almost like these people only respect force.