Did Bush manipulate Iraq data?

[kandrathe]

...it needed to be done because...

For me, IMO, because it was clear from his actions, what his goals and intentions were. You can try to contain him, but for how long and at what cost? Iraq admitted to having these weapons in their own admissions to UNSCOM. You can have UNSCOM scrub his country of WMD, but given his bent on having them, and secreting the programs away, eventually he would be right back with them. All the time that the world was supposedly "containing him", the people of Iraq were suffering under the UN mandated sanctions. I submit that the world's grip on Saddam was loosening to the point where he was poised to present a much greater danger to the region.

Anyway, the point of the author, Paul Berman, was to ask "liberals" to wake up to the reality of what are the ideals of Baathism, and Islamicism. You didn't find too many people bragging about their role in protesting WWII, after Pearl Harbor. Not many would argue now that it was not right for the Britain, France and the US to stand up to Fascism, and Hitler. The author just pointing out ideas that are similiar to what Pete has said about this war, right decision, wrong reasons, and maybe even the wrong execution. Berman also cautions about winning the peace, which is the same fear that many of us share. Now that we have done the easy thing, we are faced with the harder thing. We have a chance to make it a better place, and 100 chances to totally muck it up.