The actual reasons for the Iraq invasion...

[Archae]

For Smirky, it was his turn to "act tuff" like his Dad did.

But that wasn't nearly enough.

He needed Cheney.
And Cheney saw Iraq as a cash cow for himself and his old cronies from Halliburton and other politically connected contractors.

They overcharged, did shoddy work (when they actually did do any work at all,) and just watched the controctor money roll in.

[el_bryanto]

1. Those are some of the reasons yes

There's also some sort of reverse domino theory that by setting up a Democracy in the Middle East, others would fall in line (that proved nonsensical). There's also the oil. There's also the chance to prove that America is still the toughest dog on the block. And of course the rumors of weapons of mass destruction and the fact that Saddam was legitimately a bad guy.

The war happened for a lot of reasons; most of them bad, and the ones that weren't bad proved to be kind of dumb.

Bryant

[november3rd]

7. Cover Story

It was for 1) corporate access to oil and prevent the trading of oil in currency other than dollars; 2) bases in the Middle East now that UBL threw us out of Saudi Arabia; and 3) to redirect some of the ill-will flowing against Israel.

That democracy in the Middle East story was a media spin cover story to get the public behind us.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/20/us/20generals.html?scp=7&sq=retired+generals+secret+comment&st=nyt&_r=0

[el_bryanto]

8. I don't believe that life is that simple

Even in an individual people have multiple motivations - in something like a government, motivations multiply. Yes for some it was just a cover story, but others believed it.

Bryant

[Dpm12]

2. Dubya had a

wet dream and decided to invade Iraq to show he had a bigger dick than "daddy"

[JEB]

3. Sociopathic greed.

[Wellstone ruled]

4. This was to be the Neo-Cons Utopia.

Saddam was a CIA tool that wasn't behaving,so,out he goes. Oil pretty much was the end game,but,the Cons wanted to set up their economic and a society in their eyes. This area was always considered the Cradle of Civilization,why not do our thing,we have our backs covered by Dumb and Dumber.

What we have is what Colin Powell said. The Pottery Barn effect,we broke it now we will be paying for it for some time. Notice how the Cons wiped out the educated middle class. Hand full of rich and the rest are a peasant class. Same shit is happening here in the USA. Just a different kind of warfare. Financial!!!!

[kysrsoze]

5. They also knew the price of oil would skyrocket... and welcomed it.

These bastards were all connected to big oil and the last thing they wanted was stability and low prices.

[Gorp]

6. Perhaps it has been forgotten, but in 2004, Bush paid $8b to Halliburton for...

... undocumented expenses. I view that as an admission that he was going to lose the election. He just wanted to slip Cheney's buddies a golden parachute under the radar. But, as was anticipated, his cronies at the Supreme Court gave him a SECOND unelected term. Halliburton still walked away with $8b free of obligation.

Oh, and what about those non-grounded shower electrocutions? Was anyone at Halliburton charged for those criminal failures? Not that I recall.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

9. It's hard to know for sure what all of the precise reasons REALLY were

The bottom line is that they were clearly determined to go to war in Iraq in 2003 and nothing- nor nobody- could stop them. It's a tragedy that people whom knew better or should have known better (i.e. Colin Powell) didn't try to stop it and that the corporate media and the political system marginalized, if not totally ridiculed, the voices opposing the war. I really resent the suggestion that it was all a big hoax.

[rustydog]

10. PNAC: Project for the New American Century