"Its rather simple really...Mr. Bush said we had to go to war to disarm Saddam of his so-called weapons of mass destruction. Turns out he didn't have any. There is nothing particularly abstract about that simple fact, Tom. But its astonishing that you just don't seem to get this essential point."

In spirit of keeping it simple. Over a 12 years, after signing a cease fire, UN inspectors were unable to verify that Saddam's regime had no WMD.
Saddam had kicked out the UN inspectors. Bombing and/or sanctions would not get the inspectors back into Iraq. What did get inspectors back into Iraq was an invasion force which could threaten Saddam.
We gave Saddam 12 years to comply with the cease fire agreement, waiting another 12 years would not get us any closer to the point of having UN inspector who could verify that Iraq had no WMD. Saddam had failed to follow the cease fire agreement. If Saddam had complied with his cease fire agreement, the UN could then have passed a resolution removing the past conditions on Iraq's sovereignty- sanctions lifted and air space returned.

"Nearly 700 American soldiers have died in pursuit of weapons of mass destruction that did not exist. Mr. Bush should be held accountible for the tragic loss of these heroic souls. "

The 700 American soldiers have died enforcing an UN resolution. They died in order to change the regime in Iraq. They died maintaining security in Iraq in order that Iraq can have a reasonable chance of establish a stable govt. They died in order to deliver a major blow to terrorism in the world. They died as heros of the highest order. They died as soldiers of a miltary more than comparable to the American miltary that fought in WWII. They died belonging to the best miltary that this world has ever seen. They are honored by their fellow soldiers and American people are grateful for their bravery and the willingness to help the Iraqi people.