So what was the reason behind invasion of Iraq?
Was it :

snip

Quite simply I believe it was combination of points a) to h) with some j)'s
added to it.

I disagree, probably a through f. Which in and of itself is reason enough. If
Saddam had no ties to international terrorism, can someone explain why Abu
Abbas was there? And why was Abu Nidal killed in a Baghdad hotel? This is where
Germany, Belgiam, Russia and France differ with the US. We believed he was
hiding chemical and/or biological weapons (so did the UN) and we believed his
ties to terrorism were enough to make him an immediate threat. A large chunck
of western Europe disagreed, fine. France threatened to veto a UN resolution
authorizing force, fine. But don't expect the US to have its foreign policy
dictated by the UN. No one in the UN, particularly France would put up with
that so why the huge outcry when the US, feeling its national security is
threatened, bypasses the UN? Its hipocritical, on one hand many western
Europeans gripe about being "targeted" by anger from the US simply because they
didn't agree with the US on Iraq and on the other hand, can't accept the US
disagreeing with them and acting in Iraq.

So we have concluded that regime change in Iraq wouldn't be that bad. Now we
just have to sell it to the people. People in USA are still suffering from
the shock of WTC, so we decide to use that fear as a leverage : we mention
WMD and terrorism.

Which, true or not, was what we perceived to be the facts. Good article in the
Washington Post today (and they don't write many!) on why, if there really are
no chem or bio weapons found in Iraq, Hussain led the US, the UN and the rest
of the world into believing he *may* have them. Also of note in the article is
the assistance and guidance provided by France and Russia to Hussain up till
the final hours before OIF began.


BUFDRVR

"Stay on the bomb run boys, I'm gonna get those bomb doors open if it harelips
everyone on Bear Creek"