I'm not sure you would find anyone in agreement of a defence of the Iraq War that was along the lines of "It could be worse, just look at the Holocaust!" Pointing to something else and saying "it could be worse" isn't a defence of the actions in question. It's something along the lines of "passing the buck."
It sounds like you are reducing OP to a binary, with us or without us - on the attack or or the defense. This is the discourse of binary politics, and that's why there is no nuance to discussions of the Iraq war.
> Getting a tattoo isn't even close to the worst thing that can happen
Isn't the same as "it's ok"; or "anything up to" (the distance is mentioned, implying it might be relevant to context).