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The US invaded Iraq for only one reason: The decider chose to do so. Now, there may be many reasons that swayed the decider, but G.W. Bush has made it clear that he is the decider and that is that.

The invasion was preceded by a carefully orchestrated campaign from the Bush Administration in order to build the case for the invasion. There were many comments and speeches made to build popular support for the War on Iraq. It was a masterful P.R. campaign which was very convincing. Saddam was demonized for barbaric and ruthless actions. Stories about summary executions and chemical poisoning his own people were prominent. Iraqi surprise attacks on Iran and Kuwait were remembered.

New information was given to tip the scales in favor of deposing him. The supposed existence of WMDs cited, although the chief UN investigator strenuously disagreed and was largely ignored. A claimed meeting between a Saddam agent and a ring leader for the 9-11 hijackings was given as proof of a Saddam connection to al-Qaeda, but it was later disproved. Rumors of a Saddam agent having visited Niger in Africa to obtain nuclear fuel was disproved as well.

Obviously, the decider had made up his mind, regardless of whether the new information about Iraq was accurate or not. It was a strategic decision made based on beliefs and latest available evidence. The new evidence now seems to have been fabricated, because it was refuted thoroughly. This seems to indicate that the decider did not care about the truth, as he relied so heavily on uncorroborated speculation to build a convincing case for war.

This supports the theories that the decider chose to go war for a reason(s) that he felt he knew was accurate, but might not be enough to convince everyone else. It could be revenge for the failed attempt on his father's life in Kuwait City. Or it could be due to wanting to control Iraq's oil reserves - this tends to be supported by the care taken to defend oil assets immediately after Saddam's overthrow.

Or it could be that Bush wanted to leave a legacy American strength and he felt Iraq was the ideal way for the message to be received by Arab states that had been intransigent in the past. What is known is that leading neo-con opinion shapers had been calling for Saddam's ouster for years before 9-11. Saddam had been a "thorn in the side" of Israel and the US and did not play by traditional conventions.

In any case, the decider knew that he wanted to invade Iraq long before 9-11-2001, so the decision was based on longstanding beliefs, not recent events. That is why Bush refused to allow Iraq to have more time to comply with UN sanctions. He wanted to get on with what he had decided he would do.

Learn more about this author, Robert C. Sage.
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