Pretext For Iraq War

1 + 1 = 2

1 = We know from Clarke, Woodward, the 9/11 commission, et al. that the Bush administration was looking to invade Iraq from Day One.

1 = We also know that the administration downplayed threat of Al-Qaida against the entreaties of informed staffers.

2 = Did the diabolical Bush hawks look the other way in the hope that foreign jihadists would provide pretext for their pre-emptive plans in Iraq?

Bush & Co. has been characterized by turning their backs. They have ignored the desires of American voters following a photo-finish(too nice?) election. Dismissed foreign governments working towards worldwide disarmament & reasonable environmental protocols. In their arrogance they even dismissed human rights accords that have been in place for decades.

President Bush was hoping for another terrorist strike. He wanted and expected another attack like the USS Cole or the Kenya bombings. A fair price to pay - according to his twisted logic - in American lives for a his bold new foreign policy agenda. The sheer magnitude of the attacks in New York took even Bush's imagination by surprise. Yet they played right into his hands.