Quick questions on Bush 43 and the decision for war: HSC Modern History Conflict in the Gulf

George Walker Bush (born 6 July 1946) was the 43rd President of the United States, sworn in on 20 January 2001 after the contested November 2000 election (resolved by Bush v Gore on 12 December 2000). His pre-presidential experience was business (oil and the Texas Rangers baseball franchise) and the Texas governorship 1995-2000.

Through 2001 and most of 2002 the formal US policy was UN-authorised containment of Iraq. Internally the administration moved progressively towards regime change.

The administration's public case centred on Iraqi weapons of mass destruction.

UNSCR 1441 (8 November 2002). Passed 15-0 after eight weeks of negotiation. Gave Iraq a "final opportunity to comply with its disarmament obligations." Welcomed UNMOVIC and IAEA inspectors back.

The 15 February 2003 global anti-war protests brought an estimated 6 to 10 million people onto streets in over 600 cities. London (around 1 million), Rome (around 3 million), Madrid (around 1 million), Sydney (around 250,000), Melbourne (around 200,000).

Bush addressed the nation from the Cross Hall of the White House on 17 March 2003 at 20:00 Eastern time:

The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Phase II Report (June 2008) found that "in making the case for war, the Administration repeatedly presented intelligence as fact when it was unsubstantiated, contradicted, or even nonexistent." The Iraq Survey Group's Duelfer Report (September 2004) found no stockpiles of WMD. The WMD case had been wrong.

Bob Woodward (Plan of Attack, 2004; State of Denial, 2006) is the standard inside-the-administration journalism.

"Simply stated, there is no doubt that Saddam Hussein now has weapons of mass destruction."

"We don't want the smoking gun to be a mushroom cloud."

The Iraq War Resolution passed House 296-133 and Senate 77-23.

Stated "Iraq has continued its weapons of mass destruction programs" and was "reconstituting its nuclear weapons program." The NIE had significant dissents footnoted but obscured.

A 76-minute presentation with intelligence on mobile biological weapons labs, aluminium tubes for centrifuges, al-Qaeda links, and Iraqi obstruction. Powell's reputation lent enormous credibility. The intelligence was largely false.

Passed 15-0 after eight weeks of negotiation. Gave Iraq a "final opportunity to comply with its disarmament obligations." Welcomed UNMOVIC and IAEA inspectors back.

The 12,000-page Iraqi declaration claimed Iraq had no WMD.