I don’t know. I can’t figure out why we would go in the manner we did based on the reasons given, even given that there were WMDs.
It’s just a theory of mine, but bear with me. What country is the major regional power in that area of the world and has been ruled by fundamentalist Muslims since the 1979 revolution? That would be Iran. Iran, even then, was working on its nuclear program and was a major regional power.
Now, go and get a globe or a map. In the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, it was a no-brainer that we would be invading Afghanistan. If we also were to send a large troop contingent into Iraq, what country on that globe or map would be completely surrounded by US troops? That’s right, the same country that has been a hostile regional power intent on developing an nuclear program, Iran. What better way to constrain Iran without a direct confrontation than to surround it with large numbers of troops. I’m pretty sure that until the troops were withdrawn from Iran, the Ayatollahs were on their best behavior. We didn’t hear any talk of nuclear deals with Iran before we pulled out of Iraq, did we? We had the situation under our control until O pulled us out.
Even Madeline Halfbright understood that “what happens over there affects us here.” Hussein in Iraq, and the Ayatollahs in Iran supported terrorist groups. It is not unthinkable that either or both of those leaders could have provided a terrorist group with a WMD to be used to target an American city. That’s why it made sense to invade Iraq.