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I want to add my voice to what you just said. We let ourselves get so distracted by WMD stockpiles as a political issue that WMD programs has been made to seem insignificant.

It isn't.

Remember that France, Germany, Russia, and China all had established commercial ties to Saddam in spite of sanctions. Their ties couldn't fully be utilized while sanctions were in place, and would be useless if Saddam were removed. Which means they were bought, they took the bait, hook set, fish in the boat.

When Saddam was able to buy enough votes on the Security Council to veto any action against him, and he had done that, that means that sanctions are on their way out. And sanctions were in fact on their way out.

That leaves us a choice. Either stand down while Saddam emerges from his box, with the full backing of the aforementioned countries, meaning he is unstoppable at that point, with WMD programs intact and easily reconstituted, or we move now before sanctions can be voted out and take him out.

We chose the latter. WMD was a tangential issue. India has nukes and we don't really care because India has no mass graveyards out behind their torture chambers. WMD in the hands of someone who isn't going to attack any of our friends is a legalistic issue. WMD in the hands of someone who most assuredly will is a military problem, and time is of the essence... not because the WMD's are about to be deployed, but because sanctions are on their way out.