The way I interpret Raoul's words (maybe through the filter of what I think) is that Bush chose to go to war against Iraq because the war on terrorism seemed to have stalled and he needed a (relatively) easy victory for political reasons.

I also think that it was deliberately personalized against Saddam for a reason: To make Saddam Hussein a proxy for Osama bin Laden. If we couldn't have the satisfaction of seeing Osama's bloody corpse being dragged through Manhattan, killing Saddam Hussein would at least be a consolation prize. Given the shaky grasp of too many Americans of world affairs and geography, I wonder sometimes if the distinction between the two has been blurred by a year of relentless propaganda from the Bush Administration. That would certainly be politically useful for Bush, and I trust Karl Rove to do whatever it takes to get his boy reelected in 2004.

There's an undeniable element of politics in the war. It can't be swept under the rug.

--Robert