With the exception of the 1990-91 period, he wasn't much problem; he was even a quasi ally in the '80s. And he was effectively neutralized after '91. Frustrated by his failure, after '91 he spent a lot of time writing fantasy novels.
Actually, I would consider his construction of nuclear weapons up to 1991 to be a problem.
Also, while Saddam might have spent a lot of time after 1991 writing fantasy novels, his country was still a problem for the U.S.; indeed, this is why we spent the entire 1990s constantly monitoring Saddam, enforcing no-fly zones, et cetera.
That's debatable. Iran has pretty big ambitions, and is presently extending its influence farther than Saddam ever did.
That's unsurprising given Iran's size, though. Indeed, Iran's behavior in Iraq and Syria reminds me a bit of Germany's behavior in Austria-Hungary during World War I.
Saddam may have seemed untrustworthy after 1990, but had the US negotiated after '91 it might've been able to use him as a renewed counter to Iran so that the "two adversaries" canceled each other out in a sense.
Perhaps; however, the U.S. would have still had to constantly keep an eye on him to make sure that he didn't restart his nuclear weapons program or invaded any countries.
Also, his Faith Campaign in the 1990s and beyond has me worried; indeed, what if some users here are correct in their claim that Saddam Hussein's Faith Campaign significantly helped contribute to the radicalization of Iraq's Sunni Arab population after 1991?