True, Iraq in 2003 was no direct threat to anyone. Or at least we know that now, and we claimed not to have known it then. But Bush I didn't feel that way a decade earlier. That's why the first Gulf war was fought. Kuwait was a big producer, and the Saudis and the Emirates were next door. Oil facilities are very vulnerable to interruption, too, even by weak states and terrorists. Refineries, tank farms, pumping stations, ports, even pipelines are easily knocked out. You can't really protect them, all you can do is punish or pre-empt those who threaten them.

I've already discussed at length my own theories why Iraq was invaded by Bush II, it was there and it was easy, and it borders on all the people over there that really matter, especially Iran. Iraq wasn't a threat, it was the key to a lot of other threats and of great strategic value. It played a role just like Belgium in both World wars. It was on the way to somewhere else.

There may very well have been a legitimate concern about WMDs in 2003, but the war was really fought to improve our strategic position and influence in the region. And as I've pointed out before, invading a country just to improve your strategic position and influence is the textbook definition of aggression.