Why do you think George didn't wait until after Nov. 2 to invade Iraq?

[Dark]

Yea yea yea, eminent danger, WMD being held over our heads by a man who couldn't even control half his country. Seriously, though, why did he invade BEFORE the election? He could have waited on Iraq, simply 'swatting flies' here and there, and the American people would have given him another term on a silver platter (Iraq is what began my liberalization. It was the catalyst for my transformation.)

So, seriously, why do you think he didn't wait until after the election to invade Iraq? Why did he take such a big risk?

[CrispyQ]

1. Because in his arrogance, he didn't think it was a big risk.

It was going to be a cake walk. They were going to throw flowers at us. He was going to be exalted as the second son of god.

[democratreformed]

5. Yep. This is what I believe too. I have been appalled (sp?) at the

arrogance of this administration.

[Warpy]

9. Partially. However, remember those pesky UN inspectors

If they'd been allowed another year and a half of inspections, they'd have issued a report that stated that there were no WMDs, no program capable of building any, no nuclear program, and no evidence of planning a nuclear weapons program over the past decade. They'd have stated that Hussein was in full compliance, and that sanctions needed to be lifted.

That would have ended any justification of war beyond a Bush family vendetta, and I sincerely doubt the American people could have been sold on that one.

Timing is everything, and Bush couldn't afford to wait for either the inspectors to issue a final report or hot weather to begin. Now he's just playing Baghdad Bush, telling the faithful how rosy things are in Iraq now that Hussein is gone, and hoping nobody in small town America is counting the number of funerals in his area.

[Demit]

2. he had to connect it to 9/11. using patriotism for momentum

[Fleshdancer]

3. it's easier to convince a nation crippled in fear that war is neccessary

First of all, those who have been pushing for this war since 1992 knew they couldn't rely on a 2004 win. If it was going to happen, it would have to be in the first term. Second, 9/11. Confuse the public by connecting Saddam to OBL, make the public think war is the best thing for our safety, remind people that Arabs killed thousands of Americans, raise the terror alerts every few weeks prior to going into war.

And is this war a big risk? Bush jr losing another term is a small price to pay for a war that has been pushed and planned for well over a decade. Halliburton still gets the money, the wealthy still get their tax cuts. Things are bad right now but not for these people. There's no risk for them at all except the possibility of early retirement.

[usurper4]

4. Both of these reasons, plus....

I don't think a second term was as important as getting more $ in his pockets. Remember, his ties to Carlyle still net him significant amounts of money, as well as more scratch for Daddy.

[havocmom]

8. Yep; it was 'take the $$ and run'

They neocons where held up for 8 years by the Clinton Administration. Not about to take a chance on something like that happening again.

That's the also the likey reason for all the election stealing activities in 2000. There was $$ at stake and that's the real value of the bandits running under the family values banner.

[Nite Owl]

6. He needed a war.

He has no other issues that the public agrees with him on so he had to be a war president. There's a lot more places for him to wage war in a second term too(God forbid!).

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

7. Because that wouldn't leave him enough time to then invade

Iran, Syria, Libya, and maybe even France, if he gets around to it.

[macllyr]

10. Because of peak oil in SA

Because they knew since the beginning of the 1990s that Saudi Arabia's oil unofficial reserves are getting thin and Peak Oil is coming fast.
Thus, the necessity to control Irak militarily, permanently, and eventually to wipe out significant parts of its population (especially intellectuals) to prevent the Iraquis to never again control their own country.
After the truth is known about SA's oil depletion, Irak becomes the country with the largest reserves in the world.

End of cheap oil = end of cheap food, cheap transportation, cheap energy = end of the American "dominant" role on this planet...

[Zero Gravitas]

11. Arrogance, Stupidity and Incompetence

These loonies really believed that the Iraq invasion would be a cake walk and we would be welcomed with flowers, they'd "git" Saddam and the country, once neatly decapitated, would instantly transform into a Western-style democracy and that they'd be "liberating" Damascus and/or Tehran by now. Unfortunately for everyone reality has since taken over.

[IkeWarnedUs]

12. PNAC strategy

The same reason they were in a hurry to declare Iraq a "sovereign" nation.

They had to ensure that the 14 military bases and largest embassy the world has ever seen were in place before the election November 2.

That way, if all of their manipulations fail (control of the media spin machine, electronic voting machines, voter registration purges, etc.) they will have made more headway toward the PNAC goal of an American Empire. Ready to pick it up again when they are in power.

[bobbyboucher]

13. The Iraq invasion date was set December 12, 2001 and

preparations began forthwith. The plan called for a big push before the elections 2002 for the sole purpose of framing the debate.

9/11 curiously made it possible, or better yet, easy.