The Bush administration has repeatedly asserted that invading Iraq was not a war of choice but one of last resort. We now know the lies, half truths and cooked intelligence that went into justifying Bush’s "war" – the one he and his cronies had probably planned even when the twin towers in NYC were still intact. First there were the Downing Street memos. Now more evidence has emerged that Bush wanted to attack Iraq, no matter what. When Saddam Hussain’s dreaded WMD’s proved to be non-existent, G.W.B. wanted to precipitate matters by trapping Saddam into firing at a UN plane and providing the casus belli he wanted as a fig leaf…. Only, he was planning to camouflage a US plane to resemble a UN plane ! The discussion between Bush and Blair sounds awfully like a banter between smug and obnoxious middle schoolers discussing strategy for a video game…. Boy George’s fantasy war game.
Bush saw Iraq war as inevitable
"In the weeks before the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, as the United States and Britain pressed for a second UN resolution condemning Iraq, President George W. Bush’s public ultimatum to Saddam Hussein was blunt: Disarm or face war.
But behind closed doors, the president was certain that war was inevitable. During a private two-hour meeting in the Oval Office on Jan. 31, 2003, he made it clear to Prime Minister Tony Blair of Britain that he was determined to invade Iraq without the second resolution, or even if international arms inspectors failed to find unconventional weapons, said a confidential memo about the meeting written by Blair’s top foreign policy adviser and reviewed by The New York Times.
Stamped "extremely sensitive," the five-page memorandum, which was circulated among a handful of Blair’s most senior aides, had not been made public. Several highlights were first published in January in a book, "Lawless World," written by a British lawyer and international law professor, Philippe Sands.
The memo indicates the two leaders envisioned a quick victory and a transition to a new Iraqi government that would be complicated, but manageable. Bush predicted that it was "unlikely there would be internecine warfare between the different religious and ethnic groups." Blair agreed with that assessment.
The memo also shows that Bush and Blair acknowledged that no unconventional weapons had been found inside Iraq. Faced with the possibility of not finding any before the planned invasion, Bush talked about several ways to provoke a confrontation, including a proposal to paint a U.S. surveillance plane in the colors of the United Nations in hopes of drawing fire, or assassinating Saddam.
The latest memo is striking in its characterization of frank, almost casual, conversation by Bush and Blair about the most serious subjects. At one point, the leaders swapped ideas for a postwar Iraqi government.
"As for the future government of Iraq, people would find it very odd if we handed it over to another dictator," Blair is quoted as saying.
"Bush agreed," Manning wrote.
At their meeting, Bush and Blair candidly expressed their doubts that chemical, biological or nuclear weapons would be found in Iraq in the coming weeks, the memo said. Bush spoke as if an invasion was unavoidable. The two leaders discussed a timetable for the war, details of the military campaign and plans for the aftermath of the war.
Bush devoted much of the meeting to outlining the military strategy. The memo says that Bush said the planned air campaign "would destroy Saddam’s command and control quickly." Bush also said he expected the Iraqi Army to "fold very quickly." He also told Blair that the Iraqi Republican Guard would be "decimated by the bombing."
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