While I think it is clear that individuals within the administration had plans for Iraq before 911, I think that the timing of the push has an obvious cause. There was no new intelligence that suggested that a crisis was coming, so what was the trigger?

I think it is clear that the proximal cause was the US mid-term elections. While I don’t remember the particular show, I remember a neo-con Bush insider saying on “Fresh Air” something to the effect that the “American people were losing will to fight the War On Terror” and started focusing on things like health-care and other domestic issues. This created the risk that the Republican party might lose the support that they enjoyed as a consequence of the population pulling together behind their leaders after 911.

Pulling the “patiot card” at that time trumped all other arguments. I do not believe that the Democrats were so much “deceived” by the Bush administration as they were cowed by the prospect of trying to justify opposition to an American public that was not inclined to use critical judgement. I hold the Democrats and the American people to blame as much as the administration. Even without access to any classified material it was obvious to anyone who cared to look that the arguments for war were not only unlikely to be true, but that there was no current intelligence suggesting a crisis. The first consequence of the “war talk” was a continued Republican majority, which I would argue was the initial purpose.

As to what the real reasons why the Bush administration wanted to invade Iraq, my guess is that besides the obvious (oil, construction projects for US corporations, etc.) I believe there were a few “noble” reasons (or at least rationalizations). I believe that the players truly believe in the virtues of unfettered capitalism and consumerism (not democracy which they may believe is an unfortunate necessity to allow capitalism). This was truly a “Holy War”, not necessarily a Christian vs. Moslem conflict but a Free-market vs. “any other alternative” war. I believe that the Bush administration unrealistically believed that they could install, not just a democracy, but a particular form of free-market economy which they truly believe would be best for everyone. This is also witnessed by the Bush domestic policies which are desperately attempting to undo every “liberal” economic and environmental policy in place. The desperation is due to their fear that they could not trust the American people to re-elect them.

As to WMD, I think they figured they would probably find some and it would justify the war to the voters. The more they talked about it, the better the idea sounded (easy victory, oil, reconstruction money, elimination of Saddam so that sanctions could be lifted, etc.). Since they don’t listen to anyone outside their own circle these arguments just sounded better and better the more they were repeated.

Anyway the topic for a new discussion is “Why then”.

adding to Mr. Packer’s analysis — a bit old by now, yet perhaps of value,

http://www.comw.org/pda/fulltext/0404mantho.pdf

How would American citizens feel if they are bombed day and night? And would they have been happy to see foreign troops from countries, many can’t even locate on the map, rooming their streets, searching their pockets, homes, and every facets of their lives. Setting check points in many streets, people arrested and thrown into prisons without due process. Practically, transforming the country into a big prison.

Iraqi people don’t suffer amentia! it was only recent history when the British colonials said the same thing – we here to spread democracy /sh*tocracy. Surely they have not forgotten that. Whether the executer of those policies are Neo cons or others, that’s totally irrelevant to the folks who are at the receiving end of the bombs, oppression …because those policies have existed and executed for the past fifty years – A continuation of where others have left off.

The losers here are the American people are Iraqis

It was the WMD, now it’s because Hussein was bad. Well that was not how the war was sold to congress. A detail that is _important_.

I like the way you then sell your argument in much the way our Big Brother adminsitration does — through scare tactics and hyperbole.

Mushroom cloud? what’s the connection? The 9/11 commision, diluted by GOP pap, still managed to come up with the banal finding that there was no connection between nukes and Iraq. Must not have made it onto http://www.drudgereport.com